Mercury Spill Evacuates Rockford Students

Rockford, IL - Hundreds of students at Kennedy Middle School were evacuated Wednesday afternoon after traces of mercury were found in the building. The spill happened on Tuesday when some teachers were cleaning a science lab when a broken thermometer leaked mercury, a toxic metal, onto the floor. No students were in school at the time because it was a teacher in-service day. But they were in school on Wednesday when the Winnebago County Health Department inspected the teachers clean-up of the spill. As a precaution, they sent 500 7th and 8th graders home without their shoes after what they found. Students sported socks of all colors and designs outside Kennedy Middle School. They lined up and took off their shoes before they left the building. The shoes were sealed in plastic bags, as ordered by health officials. "There`s a possibility, and I emphasize the word possibility of mercury contamination," says Dr. Dennis Thompson, Superintendent of Rockford Public School District 205. "While it may be small right now, there still is that possibility." Questions about why students were in school on Wednesday if the spill happened on Tuesday remain unanswered. "I don`t have an answer for that," says Thompson. "I just got this information late this afternoon. That`s what we know right now." "I turned on the TV and at the bottom of the screen I simply saw Kennedy Middle School closed, parents need to come and pick up their kids," says Pam Shumaker, parent of a 7th grade student. "I ran out of the house and got here as fast as I could." Parents searching for answers were not allowed to enter the building to get their children, which added to their concern. "On my way here I saw an ambulance heading this way," says Shumaker. "I had the worst thoughts in my mind with all the recent school violence." "I`m just waiting," says Mike Koschak, parent of two 7th graders. "All I know is they`re going through a process in there of taking their shoes off." School officials organized the students and the process was smooth. "I was in class and I heard over the announcements that they had a mercury spill and everybody had to leave their shoes here," says Hank Miller, a 7th grade student. But they dont know if theyll see those shoes ever again. After inspecting the school, health officials have decided Kennedy Middle School is safe to open on Thursday. Health inspectors have determined there are no problems with the air quality. But they did have to cut out a carpet from one hallway that was an issue. Exposure to even small amounts of mercury over a long period may cause health effects including damage to the brain, kidney, and lungs. But Winnebago County Health officials say because the children were exposed to in over a short period of time, theres no reason to panic. "Mercury is a fairly toxic material, but fortunately we`re talking about a fairly short term exposure here," says Larry Swacina, Winnebago County Health Department. "So it makes it a lot less worrisome than if it had been in here for like weeks or months." Some effects to short-term exposure are nausea, abdominal cramping, and behavioral changes.