Liquid Mercury Spill in Cunnamulla, Queensland, Forces Town Sites to Be Cordoned Off
Children found vials of mercury at the local tip and took them to school, prompting a major hazardous materials response across multiple sites in the remote town
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- Authorities in south-west Queensland are working to assess and clean up liquid mercury that has spread across Cunnamulla after children discovered vials of the chemical at the local tip and took them to school.
- Multiple sites including the state school, hospital, service station and private homes remain cordoned off, with specialist equipment now on site to measure contamination levels.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
Cunnamulla is a small town in south-west Queensland with a population of about 1,000. The mercury was discovered at the local refuse tip by children who then took it to the state school, leading to the closure of the school and the cordoning off of multiple public and private sites.
Authorities say it will take at least two days to assess and remove liquid mercury spread across a south-west Queensland town after children found vials of the chemical at the tip.
Cunnamulla's state school, BP service station, hospital waiting room, several private residences, a council depot building and refuge tip remain cordoned off.
Some families are staying in the town's evacuation centre while they wait for their homes to be given the all clear.
Cunnamulla is a small town near the border of New South Wales, about eight hours' drive west of Brisbane, and has a population of approximately 1,000.
The state school has about 130 students and 38 staff members. They have not been able to attend since Monday, after the Queensland Fire Department was alerted to the chemical spill.
Charleville Command area commander, Caine Warburton, said specialist equipment has arrived and will be used to determine the level of contamination at each site, and how much work is needed to make them safe.
"Liquid mercury has a tendency to penetrate porous surfaces like clothing, furniture upholstery and can't be seen but continues to give off vapour which, if inhaled, can cause mercury poisoning," he said.
"That's our main concern."
Authorities are unable to say how many people have been exposed, but say "multiple" people, including children, have presented to hospital to be checked.
At a town meeting yesterday, the community was told the liquid mercury was found in vials at the tip.
Paroo Shire Council Mayor Suzette Beresford said the children who found it on Sunday then took it to school on Monday.
"Thinking they'd do show and tell with the mercury, I think," she said.
"We're thinking it must be an illegal dumping of medical waste … that's probably something the Queensland Police will look into afterwards."
Inspector Warburton said anyone who suspected they had come into contact with the mercury should double bag any clothing and footwear they were wearing and leave them outside.
"Contact Queensland Health for further information on how to deal with the potential health impacts."
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Specialist teams will complete initial contamination assessments at cordoned sites within the next 48 hours
Sehr wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Tagen
Queensland Police will investigate the illegal dumping of medical waste at the tip
Wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Wochen
Offene Fragen
- How many vials of mercury were originally found and how much has been recovered?
- What is the exact source of the illegally dumped medical waste?
- How many residents and children have actually been exposed to mercury vapour?
- What will be the total cost and duration of the full decontamination process?