Safety

Construction crew exposed to small amount of mercury at a hospital

Hospital Safety Connection, June 17, 2009

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A trio of construction workers at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Medical Center got a surprise when a pipe they removed released a test-tube-sized splash of mercury on them Tuesday.
 
The residue was washed off the workers in the hospital’s decontamination unit, The Arizona Republic reported. Mercury is a toxic element.
 
The facility’s industrial hygienist decontaminated the room where the spill occurred, and while authorities found very small traces of mercury in the area surrounding that location, they weren’t concerned about further exposures.



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