PETERSBURG – After mercury leaked out of a package at the Petersburg Post Office and closed the facility for just over a week, the post office reopened September 28.
"[Post office staff] handled it great and they adapted to the changes as necessary to make sure that we could keep serving our customers," said Postmaster Mark Eppihimer.
Environmental contractors and regulators were flown into Petersburg to clean the facility of the mercury, though the amount that was exposed wasn’t harmful, according to a release from postal service officials. The post office was first expected to reopen the weekend after the mercury was discovered, but was later pushed back to the following Friday because the effort required to clean the facility of the mercury was underestimated.
The droplets of mercury were first seen on the package it came in and nearby parcels around 10am on Sept.13. The contaminated mail was separated, and the fire department was contacted, said a source with the post office. Once it was determined that the droplets were mercury, the postal service chain of command decided to shut down the facility to protect the safety of post office staff and customers, said the source.
When the contractors arrived that afternoon, they immediately began working 12 hour shifts to remove the mercury from the mail. A special sulfur powder was used to absorb the visible droplets, said the post office source. Tents made of plastic wrap were then placed over the contaminated mail. Space heaters were placed in the tents to heat the mail above 66 degrees so the mercury would begin to vaporize, said the post office source. The sulfur powder was again used to absorb the mercury vapor.
Over a seven hour period, air samples were taken in the facility to test the quality of air, said the post office source. The samples were taken to California to be analyzed on Thursday morning and by Thursday evening, the results had determined that the air quality was safe, said the post office source.
After the facility was cleaned and deemed safe to reenter, the post office resumed operations at their facility, according to the release. While the facility was closed, the post office was operating out of Petersburg Indian Association, which is Petersburg’s Continuity of Operations, said Eppihimer. Should federal organizations in Petersburg be displaced, they will relocate to the PIA building.
Eppihimer said that the mail remained safe and private while being distributed at PIA. Customers were discouraged from leaning over the counter and glancing at the mail. Statements released by postal service officials stated that photo identification was required to pick up mail and packages; however, not everyone was asked to present photo identification.
"If we didn’t recognize the person or we didn’t know them, we always checked their ID," said Eppihimer.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is a shiny, silver liquid. When heated, it becomes colorless. Both forms are odorless. People can be exposed to mercury by breathing in vapors. Exposure to high levels of mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys and a developing fetus, according to the ATSDR. Short term exposure can cause lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in blood pressure and heart rate, skin rashes and eye irritation. There is no substantial data indicating that mercury can cause cancer, according to the ATSDR.
If Petersburg residents have any questions about the closure of the post office or the mercury leak, Eppihimer encourages anyone to contact him at the post office with their questions.
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