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Spilled mercury forces USF building evacuation
By RYAN MEEHAN TAMPA -- A University of South Florida employee dropped a bottle containing 2 pounds of mercury Wednesday, forcing officials to evacuate an engineering building. The employee, Eric Lo, said he did not know the bottle contained the toxic substance when it slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor about 3 p.m. The mercury splashed away from Lo, and he left the room. About 15 other people in the building also were evacuated. A hazardous material team responded but did not have the right equipment. A private company will be brought in today to clean up, said Tampa Fire and Rescue Capt. Keith Williams. The building will remain closed until the work is complete, Williams said. Mercury is a highly poisonous substance that is more dangerous the longer a person is exposed to it. Having the mercury sit overnight would not create a more threatening environment, Williams said. "There's no rush if you can keep people out of the building," he said. Lo, a computer specialist at the university, said he grabbed the bottle while helping move items from the second floor of the Kopp Engineering Building to the basement in preparation for a renovation. He said the bottle was on a shelf with other bottles of old chemicals. He had no idea of its contents. "I picked it up, and it kind of slipped," Lo said. "I didn't expect it to be so heavy." When the bottle hit the ground it shattered. "I didn't get any on me or near my face, so they told me to wash my shoes and wash my pants a few times," Lo said. Williams said the company that will remove the mercury will test the air and the room's contents before the building is reopened.
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