THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, April 15, 1996 TAG: 9604150053
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Seventy-six students and two teachers were taken to a hospital as a precaution Friday after a child brought a vial of mercury to class at Great Bridge Middle School North, a school spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Chesapeake General Hospital said several of the children complained of headaches and itchy eyes. They were treated and released.
Inhaling mercury for hours can cause weakness, chills, headaches, vomiting and other symptoms. Mindy Hughes, the hospital spokeswoman, said fresh air is the best remedy for people exposed to mercury. Prolonged exposure can lead to kidney damage, she said, but ingesting mercury is rarely serious since the body does not absorb it.
The vial was brought to school by a seventh-grade girl who apparently was unaware of the danger of exposure, said Tom Cupitt, spokesman for the school.
The mercury was discovered by a teacher who alerted the school nurse, just before classes ended Friday.
Cupitt said a hazardous materials team inspected classrooms and an environmental disposal team was called in to scrub the rooms where the child had taken the vial.
KEYWORDS: MERCURY CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS by CNB