Elemental mercury spills are common and extremely hazardous. An elemental mercury spill that is not properly cleaned up can pose a serious health threat to residents and those who visit the property. When elemental mercury falls and strikes a hard surface, it bursts into microbeads which can travel up to three feet for every foot that it fell. These microbeads cause a major threat due to their increased surface area that creates increased off-gassing of mercury vapors. The vapors from the microbeads are especially harmful to children, women of childbearing age, and people with compromised immune systems.
The mercury vapors and microbeads are extremely difficult to clean up. AEG Environmental has one of the premier mercury response teams on the east coast. With over 20 years of experience providing mercury remediation services to clients in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and Delaware, our highly skilled team of professionals will be able to accurately assess your site and offer solutions. Our professional responders will assess the spill site and formulate a full decontamination plan to reduce the risk and liability associated with a mercury spill. We also package and transport the hazardous and non-hazardous waste from the site.
AEG Environmental has responded to the following locations for elemental mercury spills:
- Homes & Apartments
- Doctor’s Offices
- Laboratories
- Government Facilities
- Schools
- Medical Clinics
- Utilities
- Historic Buildings
- Hospitals
- Dental Offices
- Vehicles
- Ships
Elemental mercury spills can be due to a wide variety of culprits. Some of the most common sources of mercury spills include:
- Blood Pressure Cuffs
- Grandfather Clocks
- Switches
- Barometers
- Gas Regulators
- Fluorescent bulbs
- Thermostats
- Thermometers
- Fluorescent Tubes
AEG Environmental strictly follows EPA and ATSDR guidelines for decontamination protocol with a residential limit of 0.001 mg/m3.
Mercury Assessment
Was there a mercury spill at your property in the past? If so, was the site properly decontaminated? Elemental mercury is a silver-colored metal that exists as a liquid at room temperature. While it is a naturally-occurring metal, it is used in many man-made products such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, light bulbs, and switches. From time to time, mercury is accidentally spilled from these items and released into the environment. When people are exposed to the mercury vapors, the consequences can be terrible. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can cause a variety of severe health problems, which means your site should be assessed promptly if you believe there is a possibility of contamination.
If you think your home or facility has been contaminated, we will send a certified mercury responder to your property to sample the air for traces of mercury vapors. We utilize state of the art instrumentation – including Arizona Instruments Jerome 431-X Gold Film Technology, Jerome J505 Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Lumex products – to screen for mercury vapors.