Measuring exposure to an elemental mercury spill--Dakota County, Minnesota, 2004.

Elemental mercury spills can cause contamination of neighborhoods and homes and result in neurologic and kidney disorders in exposed persons who inhale mercury vapors. Often, however, difficulties exist in determining the magnitude of exposure and effectiveness of decontamination or in recognizing that reexposure has occurred. This report summarizes the response to an elemental mercury exposure that resulted in the decontamination of 48 persons and the subsequent analysis of blood and urine samples from 14 exposed youths aged 6-16 years. Data from these analyses suggest that 1) blood samples are more sufficiently acquired and can be used to evaluate recent acute exposure and 2) use of a real-time mercury vapor analyzer can help public health officials determine the magnitude of exposures and help prevent reexposures. In addition, demolition and waste-disposal firms and government agencies must take actions to ensure that elemental mercury is adequately secured before disposal.