House vacated due to mercury contamination

Liaison officer for the Penang Fire and Rescue Department, senior assistant superintendent Mohd Azman Hussin said the married couple and three children living in the house had to vacate it at 2pm yesterday after checks by the Hazardous Materials Management Team (Hazmat) found the mercury reading in it to be at 11 microgrammes.

"This follows the mercury reading at 11 microgrammes and the five residents of the house were ordered to move out to enable the Hazmat team to cleanse it," he said here today.

He said the cleansing works were conducted together with the Department of Environment today to ensure the house was safe again to be inhabited.

House-owner Hasnah Hassan, 56, said her family had to vacate the house after checks found that it was still contaminated by mercury, and they had to stay at a relative's house nearby.

Hasnah, who was hospitalised on Monday for two days at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital, said her son Hishamudin Ahmad, 14, brought the liquid mercury home.

"He said he found it on Thursday in the oil palm plantation...he and his friends were playing with the mercury and spilled it in the living room. I did not touch it but used a broom to clean it up, then suddenly on Friday, I felt sick and had headaches.

"It was only on Saturday afternoon that I found out the liquid was dangerous, after the fire department came to the house to check. We were all taken to the hospital to be examined," she said.

Her neighbour Mohd Abdul Ghaddar Mohd Nasir, 49, said he accidentally came into contact with the liquid mercury after his son and several friends played with it in the house and threw it on to his motorcycle.

"I did not know what it was and touched it on my motorcycle, I have been having body aches since Thursday, and felt weak and nauseous. It was only after I was sent to the Bukit Mertajam Hospital last Saturday that I found out that we could have symptoms of mercury contamination," he said.

He added that the results of the blood tests conducted by the hospital were still not known and hoped he, his wife and four children were safe from mercury contamination.

Another victim, Roshida Arshad, 45, said her son brought back the liquid and showed it to her husband before keeping it in a mineral water bottle.

"My husband scolded my son for bringing back the liquid but my son took it to school, saying he wanted to show it to his teacher," she said, adding that some of the liquid was spilled in class.

During the incident last Saturday, 15 residents of Jalan Padang Menora, Kampung Baru here were sent to hospital for suspected mercury contamination.

The residents were reported to have said the substance was brought back by their children who found it in an area near their homes.

On Thursday, 56 students of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Guar Perahu, Bukit Mertajam were quarantined after a mercury spilled in their classroom.

Mercury poisoning could occur after exposure to the substance either through the air (in the form of ‘mercuric chloride’ or ‘methylmercury; by inhaling mercury fumes, or by consuming contaminated food.