Metals in schools
Overview and health risks

Mercury is Toxic, and It’s in Our Schools

The silvery metal mercury, which most of us associate primarily with traditional non-digital thermometers, is an interesting substance. It is liquid at room temperature, it flows easily and it can readily be alloyed to other metals.

It’s also very, very poisonous.  And it doesn’t break down. And it can build up in the body. And it can be easily absorbed into the system.

Most mercury that is released into the environment is released when coal, oil or natural gas is burned as fuel and when garbage that contains mercury is incinerated.

Of course, because of this, most of us don’t come into direct contact with concentrated amounts of mercury, though it can be found in various parts of the country in unhealthy amounts in the soil, water or elsewhere.

Also, because garbage incinerators and power generation facilities account for a lion’s share of mercury emissions, schools aren’t a major producer of mercury.

Still, school is a place where mercury and children may come together. It could be because of an accidental spill or leak from a mercury-containing device (such as thermometers, sphygmomanometers, barometers and mercury switches) or elemental mercury from a science class.

For those of us who are old enough to have done it ourselves (or have parents or grandparents who told us such stories), we know that before the toxic nature of the metal was well-known, kids and teens would play with it and rub in into their skin.

And some young folks still do play with this dangerous substance. In just the past several years, in Illinois alone, there have been some notable school-related mercury incidents, including: 

• One student stole mercury from a chemical storage room, spread it in the hallways and on lockers, and spilled it in multiple classrooms. Some parts of the school were closed for nearly two weeks, and cleanup costs exceeded $250,000.

• Another student brought a vial of mercury to school and spread the substance on a desk, as well as spilling some on the carpet. School was canceled for the rest of the day, and the contaminated items were placed in drums.

• Still another student somehow obtained a vial of mercury and distributed it to friends in plastic bags. Some of the mercury was spilled on other students and in one of the rooms of the school.

You can use the links at left to learn more about mercury, avoiding mercury exposure and doing something to help reduce mercury in schools (and hopefully the rest of the environment). Also, you can learn about lead, another toxic metal to which your children may be exposed