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Help! Poss. Mercury Contamination



Dear List Serve Members:

This week, during the process of moving our Department of History (of which
our archives is a part) and other offices, into another building on campus,
an instrument (from another department) that contained 1 ½-2 pounds of
mercury, was broken. The mercury was leaked throughout our new building. To
complicate matters, this leakage was not immediately known, and the usual
nightly cleaning crews unknowingly vaporized the mercury, spreading it into
the air, which was then distributed throughout the building via the air
conditioning system. Upon notification of the leakage, the building was
evacuated and roped off. Although our collections are in a secure area,
they are possibly contaminated, as everything has potentially been, by the
AC system.

Currently, the building is being cleaned by a company experienced in the
removal of toxic materials. Additionally, federal officials are monitoring
and testing the building and materials and no one will be allowed to return
to work until the mercury levels are below federal standards for health.
Our department chairman and the Institute's Director have informed those in
charge of the irreplaceable World War II materials that our archives
contains. We are being assured that everything possible is being done to
protect our materials and to safeguard everyone's health. In the meanwhile,
we are hearing various reports and opinions regarding how effective this or
any de-contamination may be.

Does anyone on the listserv have any experience with mercury contamination
and/or similar experiences that might be helpful to us? We do not want to
overlook any area of concern, either regarding personal health, or the
well-being of our collections. Thank you, in advance, for your assistance.

Joan E. Denman
Archival Manager
& Senior Archivist
Institute on World War II
& the Human Experience
Department of History
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2200
Phone: 850-644-9033
Institute email: ww2@ww2.fsu.edu
website: www.fsu.edu/~ww2

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