Skip directly to: content | left navigation | search
  1. ATSDR > Public Health Assessments & Consultations

HEALTH CONSULTATION

MERCURY IN ST. PAUL RESIDENCE
ST. PAUL, RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA


ATTACHMENT 1: ACTIVITY AND INFORMATION SUMMARY

Activity and Information Summary
XXXXXXXXXX, St. Paul MN
by Judy Grant, Xcel Energy Environmental Services

Date Activities
6/5/01 In the afternoon a Mueller house piping crew removed a device from the basement of XXXXXXXX. The device was on customer owned piping, on the customer side of the meter and was taken out when the old meter was removed from the basement and a new meter installed outside. There was no regulator on the company owned piping since the house was on a low pressure gas distribution system. A regulator was installed as part of this job.

The Mueller crew indicated that they removed the device, carried it out of the house without bagging it, and because they were curious took it partially apart when they got to their truck which was parked on XXXXXXXXXX. It was at this point that they said they realized that the device contained mercury. They indicated that they then taped it up and brought it to the Mueller site at 843 Hardman Avenue South.

Tom Anderson in Xcel Energy's Gas Training group was contacted about the device either late Tuesday (6/5) or early Wednesday (6/6). Jack Bedner was given as the contact at Mueller. Dan Kealy and Brain Bartsch were the Mueller employees who removed the device.

6/6/01 Tom Anderson called the situation into Environmental Services at 8:00 AM indicating: a gas regulator filled with mercury was removed from this location, the crew did not believe mercury was spilled, Mueller wanted assistance with disposal of the device which was bagged and stored at the Mueller Contract Yard at 843 Hardman Avenue South and the Mueller contact was Jack Bedner; 612-369-4524. The Environmental Incident Reporting Form also indicated that there was a chemical spill > RQ and the amount released > 1 pound.
The issue was turned over to me at 9:00 AM. I indicated to Melissa Klamerus; 651-265-7035, that a visual inspection of the house would need to be done to ensure no mercury was spilled. Melissa contacted her supervisor, Dan Woehrle; 651-229-2211, and left a voice mail with the home owner, XXXXXXX; 651-XXXXXX, indicating that a device containing mercury was removed from her basement and we would like to do a visual inspection to verify that no mercury was spilled. Melissa determined that the initial installation probably occurred between 1913 and 1915, when the house would have been serviced by coal gasification gas. We later found out that the house was built in 1913.
In the afternoon Dan Woehrle, Melissa Klamerus, and I inspected the device at the Mueller site with Jack Bedner. We took it partially apart so we could see where the mercury was and radioed the two employees who removed the device from the home. These employees indicated that Brian held the device upright as he carried it out of the house, that they used the South entrance, walked through the kitchen and down the stairs, and that their truck was parked next to the house on XXXXX, 10 feet from the stop sign on XXXXX and XXXXXX. It was also indicated that no visual inspection of the house was done to verify that no mercury was spilled, and that some mercury spilled into a bag when the device was un-taped at the Mueller site.
In taking the device partially apart we could see the following items in this order:
  • Cap - formed a metal on metal seal with one screw holding it in place and a small lip shaped vent - if the device was not held upright the mercury could leak or pour out around the cap
  • Ball Jar Lid - this was probably added as a spacer by the home owner to prevent the device from shutting off the gas
  • Lead Weight with the number 10 on it - as a weight
  • Steel Disk or Diaphragm with a nut in it (later found to be hooked to a shaft, and the shaft connected to a plug at the bottom - as the diaphragm moves up it pulls the shaft up and the plug seats reducing or shutting off the gas)
  • Mercury - located around the disk and shaft and later found to complete the seal and may also have been used as a weight - the mercury may have been expelled from the device though the vent in the cap under high pressure or high flow conditions
  • We later found out that there was a metal seal below the mercury separating the mercury from the gas line.
Dan determined that the mercury was not in contact with the gas and therefore would not have contaminated the customer gas piping. He also suspected that the device was a regulator or slam shut relief valve. Dan brought the device to Rice Street for a thorough dissection. I brought the mercury contaminated plastic bag in a drum to the HWSF for proper disposal.

Late Wednesday the homeowner returned Melissa's call and indicated that 1:00 PM on Thursday would be the soonest we could get into the house for the visual inspection.

6/7/01 Shortly after 1:00 PM Dan Woehrle, Melissa Klamerus and I met XXXXXXXXX at her home. Using flashlights we carefully went into the house through the South door, through the kitchen and downstairs looking for mercury on the route taken by the Mueller employees. Dan located a small number of mercury beads below the newly installed piping where the device had been removed.

I contacted Lee Eberley to report the findings and then reported the spill to Bruce Denney who arranged for Bay West to come to the house to clean up the spill. Bruce also called the spill in to the state duty officer.

Bay West arrived on site at approximately 2:45 PM. Their procedure included:
  • Vacuuming (with a Mercury Vacuum made by Minutemen) the kitchen, the stairs and the basement in the areas of concern. This area of concern included the NE corner where the beads had been observed and the device had been located, between this corner and the stairs and some of the area under the stairs. The Bay West employees were questioned about the vacuum and they indicated that all the necessary filters were in place, so the vacuum would not release mercury vapors.
  • Spreading a mercury powder (Mercury Absorb from Lab Safety) in the basement in the areas of concern and vacuum it up.
  • Wiping the basement floor in the areas of concern with mercury wipes (Mercon Wipes from Mercon).
  • Spraying the basement floor in the areas of concern with a mercury spray (Mercon Vap from Mercon).
  • Opening the basement window which was located beside the South stairs going into the house and installing a fan to clear out the air in the basement since readings on their Jerome meter were not going down.
  • Bay West indicated several times that during the cleaning process they were stirring things up and disturbing mercury which was why they thought the mercury levels detected on their Jerome meter were not going down.
  • By 7:30 PM after ventilating and while the fans were still running measurements on the Jerome, which reads down to 0.001 mg/m3 or 1000 ng/m3, were going down to the detection limit of this meter.

The Bay West employees who did the clean up were Barry Lindsay and Craig Rebischke. They indicated that the highest level of mercury detected in the basement using the Jerome meter was 0.349 mg/m3 or 349,000 ng/m3. The next day the manufacturer of the Jerome indicated that the kitty litter in the basement, which was quite strong smelling, would cause a significant interference; therefore, this measurement does not provide an accurate indication of the level of mercury present.

They also indicate that the boxes in the basement had been moved several times during the cleaning process. As they left they said that they had done everything they could do to clean up the spill.

Arrangement were made with XXXXX to do clearance sampling at 1:00 PM the next day, Friday, June 8.

6/8/01 In the morning Bay West was called regarding substances that can interfere with their Jerome meter and whether the kitty litter, which was in the basement during the cleaning, could have caused any interference. They were not aware of this as a problem, but provided the manufacturer of the Jerome meter's telephone number. Arizona Instruments was called and their technical assistance people indicated that kitty litter most definitely causes an interference along with many other things that have strong odors such as cleaners and cigarette smoke. They indicated that all of these would produce false positive readings on the Jerome but did not know the actual numerical increase that would result.
Ed Swain; 651-296-7800, at the MPCA was contacted regarding required clean-up levels and put me in contact with Carl Herbrandson; 651-215-0925, in the Department of Health. Carl indicated that the appropriate clearance level to use after a mercury spill was 300 ng/m3. He mentioned the 1000 ng/m3 clearance level that the ATSDR considered allowable but had concerns with that level and felt the 300 ng/m3 limit was more appropriate.
At 1:00 PM Carol Hubbard from the MPCA met Dan Woehrle, Melissa Klamerus and I at the house. Carl Herbrandson from the Minnesota Department of Health arrived shortly after. A large number of readings were taken with the Lumex which has a detection limit of 1 ng/m3. These readings can be found in the table titled; Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXX, Friday, June 8, 2001. The title of the Excel document is "lumex 6-8-01." Readings in the basement were between 20,000 and 51,000 ng/m3, readings on the first floor were between 1500 and 3500 ng/m3, and readings on the second floor were between 300 and 529 ng/m3.
Because levels of mercury were above the clearance level Dan Woehrle told XXXXX that she would be put up in a hotel. I contacted Lee Eberley and requested that we seek an experienced contractor who had worked in the Chicago area where Nicor Gas had cleaned over 1000 mercury contaminated homes. Lee agreed and late in the afternoon Al Peterson began calling contractors. Al also located a summary of the Nicor mercury spill clean-up procedure on the Nicor web site.
XXXX and her cat stayed in the house Friday night.
6/9/01 XXXX stayed in Duluth overnight. Her cat stayed at her house.
6/10/01 XXXX came back from Duluth and spent the night at the house with her cat.
6/11/01 XXXX got a room at Holiday Inn Express on Energy Park Drive. Her cat went to her mother's house.
Three contractors which were recommended by Nicor were evaluated. The contractor which came highly recommended, Weston, was chosen. Mueller Pipeliners was contacted to take financial responsibility. Chris Ernst; 262-641-7174, at Mueller, accepted Weston as the preferred contractor and verbally agreed that the following list of items to be covered for XXXX was acceptable: Room Charges at a local, name brand hotel; Telephone charges for any calls she would normally make from home; Meals; Related Costs, such as costs for using a laundry mat: Medical charges for having a mercury test done; and Veterinarian charges for having her cat tested for mercury. This list was provided to XXXX verbally.
6/12/01 A copy of the Mueller reimbursement list was provided to XXXX along with the following written information on the health effects of mercury: a detailed Genium MSDS for mercury, the mercury section from the toxic metals chapter of the Cassart Toxicology book 5th edition, the mercury section from the ACGIH documentation of TLVs, and the mercury section from the ACGIH documentation of BEIs.
Carol Hubbard at the MPCA checked my cloths and shoes for mercury contamination. Eric Keeley, from Weston, arrived in town and plans were made to meet him at the house at 8 AM Wednesday morning. Carl Herbrandson from the Department of Health was provided with XXXX's phone numbers and a list of the mercury information which had been provided to XXXX. Friday's readings and the clothing readings from this day were put into a table for distribution.
6/13/01 Eric Keeley from Weston, Carol Hubbard from MPCA and I meet XXXX at the house at 8 AM. Printouts of the readings from Friday 6/8 were provided. Side by side readings were taken with the Lumex and the Nippon which was brought by Weston and has a detection limit of 0.001 mg/m3 or 1000 ng/m3. The Nippon is a NIC Nippon Instrument mercury survey meter EMP-1A. Readings were higher then on Friday, June 8. These readings can be found in the table titled: Nippon and Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 13, 2001. The title of the Word document is "01 - Nippon and Lumex Readings 6-13-01."
The Weston crew arrived at the house at 11:30 AM. At lunch they developed a work plan and began working on the clean-up after lunch. The Weston written workplan includes the procedures which were used and when they were accomplished. These procedures called for installing containment, bagging up the material in the basement, doing an initial cleaning with HgX and taking additional readings with the Nippon. These readings are also in the 6-13-01 table mentioned above.
Shawn Thorsen, from Mueller Pipeliners, arrived on site at 2:30 PM was briefed on the situation.
Arrangement were made to ship the waste generated by the clean-up to the Xcel Energy Hazardous Waste Storage Facility at the Chestnut Service Center.
Shawn provided XXXX with a check for her cat's mercury test which was scheduled for Thursday, June 14 at 2:00 PM.
Weston left the site at approximately 8:00 PM. At this time almost all the items in the basement had been bagged. HgX powder and solution was left on the floor in NE corner and HgX solution was on the floor up to the drain and under the stairs.
6/14/01 The Weston crew arrived at the house at 8:00 AM and took initial readings with the Nippon. These readings can be found in the table titled: Nippon and Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 14, 2001. The title of the Word document is "02 - Nippon and Lumex Readings 6-14-01."
Ten steel 55 gallon drums were delivered at approximately 10 AM. Another Weston crew member arrived in the late morning. Eric Keeley left the site in late morning and returned to Chicago. The now three person crew (Sarah, Tim and Stuart) continued to clean in the basement. The plan was to get the basement cleaned today - Thursday, painted Friday and cleared Saturday. Eric Keeley indicated that if the basement was below 1000 it would be acceptable to paint.
In late morning readings were taken on the first and second floors with the Nippon and the Lumex though the house was not closed up. These readings are also found in the 6-14-01 table mentioned above. The Weston crew continued scrubbing and rescrubbing the basement in the afternoon and at 2:00 and 4:00 PM additional readings were taken. The 4:00 PM readings did indicate that average readings on the Nippon were at or below 1,000 ng/m3 in all areas except at the floor drain.
6/15/01 The Weston crew and Carol Hubbard from the MPCA arrived on site around 8:00 AM and initial readings were taken with the Nippon and Lumex. These readings can be found in the table titled: Nippon and Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 15, 2001. The title of the Word document is "03 - Nippon and Lumex Readings 6-15-01." Carol left the Lumex with me so preliminary clearance sampling could be conducted with the Lumex on Saturday.
Weston crew did additional cleaning in the basement with HgX. Shawn Thorsen stopped by around 9:00 AM and wanted to sample the gas piping for mercury. The gas pipes were not opened at this time. The basement was painted with enamel paint.
It was decided that the clearance level for the house of 300 ng/m3 would be the value used to clear XXXX's belongings which were in the basement in poly bags and were moved to the garden area next to the garage at approximately 10:30 AM, opened, and allowed to ventilate.
Carl Herbrandson indicated that after the preliminary clearance with the Lumex we would need to have certification sampling done by an industrial hygienist with tubes that would need to be sent out for analysis. Several contractors who do this type of work were contacted and only Applied Environmental Services (AES); 763-545-5510, had a hygienist available. Preliminary arrangements were made to conduct certification sampling on Monday, if the preliminary clearance sampling on Saturday came out below 300 ng/m3.
Arrangements were made with Carl Herbrandson, from the Department of Health, to arrive at the house Saturday morning after the house had been closed and heated for several hours.

The bagged material was put into the garage. The house ventilated overnight.

6/16/01 The Weston crew arrived on site at around 8:00 AM. The house was closed, a heater was put on in the basement and the furnace was put on maximum. The bagged material was again put outside to ventilate.
9:00 AM the bagged material was closed and left in the sun to warm, so the air space in the bags could be checked for mercury. The mercury vapor readings for the rugs were very high; therefore, they were listed, photographed and placed in drums for disposal. Material between .008 and .009 mg/m3 on the Nippon was opened for additional venting. Items that were higher than this were listed, photographed and drummed.
11:00 AM Carl Herbrandson arrived on site. The house temperature was at 80 degrees F. Preliminary clearance sampling was conducted. These readings can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 16, 2001. The title of the Word document is "04 - Lumex Readings 6-15-01."
The levels of mercury vapor observed in the kitchen and basement were above the 300 ng/m3 clearance level; therefore, the house did not pass the preliminary clearance sampling. Since the basement smelled strongly of paint the paint was checked to determine if these vapors caused any interference. This test was done by putting the Lumex intake hose in a can containing some of the enamel paint used in the basement. This test indicated that the paint did not cause an interference.
Eric Keeley indicated by phone that what remained to be done was to heat and ventilate the house. He suggested a circular ventilation method which involved opening and placing a fan in the window in the NE bedroom so air would travel through this bedroom, into the sunroom, through the SE bedroom, down the stairs to the second floor, through the living room, dining room and kitchen, down the basement stairs, through the basement and out the basement window which had a fan in it near the South stairs into the house. This method of ventilation was used for the weekend and preliminary clearance sampling was planned for Monday, June 18.
The Weston crew stayed to assist with listing, photographing and drumming the bagged material to be disposed of. They left the site and headed back to Chicago just before 5:00 PM.
6/18/01 Arrangements were made with Ed Swain at the MPCA to do preliminary clearance sampling at 3:00 PM, and with XXXX to close and heat the house two hours prior to this sampling. XXXX closed and began heating the house at 1:15 PM. At 3:00 PM I arrived and noticed that the basement window fan was on; therefore, the house had not been closed as required to do the preliminary clearance sampling. Ed Swain arrived and it was decided that sampling would be done to determine if the house would fail even without having been closed. Shawn Thorsen from Mueller was also present. The readings which were taken can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 18, 2001. The title of the Word document is "05 - Lumex Readings 6-18-01."
This sampling indicated that even though the basement had not been closed up as required it was above 300 ng/m3 and failed the preliminary clearance. In addition areas were found that were higher than the ambient level in the basement. The highest location was the washtub which had a maximum reading of 4,868 ng/m3 and an average reading of 3,047 ng/m3.
Because the washtub and the area under the footing of the stairs were considered sources of mercury contamination, that could continue to vaporize and make it difficult to clear the house, Chris Ernst gave authorization to bring Weston back to further clean these areas. Eric Keeley at Weston began organizing a crew and developing a workplan.
6/19/01 Eric Keeley developed a workplan. Arrangements were made to ship the ten drums of contaminated material to the Chestnut Hazardous Waste Storage Facility and deliver four additional drums on Wednesday, June 20. Ed Swain was contacted to borrow the Lumex in order to check mercury levels in the remaining bags of the material from the basement.
At 2:00 PM all the contaminated material in XXXX's garage was brought outside to ventilate in the sun and the clothing was hung on the line.
At 3:00 PM the material in the bags was moved around to better ensure that all items were ventilating.
At 5:00 PM the bags which were known to be higher were closed and moved into the garage and the bags which showed lower mercury levels were brought into the garage and left open to continue ventilating.
6/20/01 8:00 AM Weston crew (Sarah and Tim) met XXXX and I at the house. The Weston workplan was reviewed. At 9:15 AM initial readings were taken with the Nippon. These readings can be found in the table titled: Nippon and Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXX, June 20, 2001. The title of the Word document is "06 - Nippon and Lumex Readings 6-20-01." The highest levels of mercury vapor were detected in the wash tub. The basement was not being ventilated while these measurements were being taken and remained closed until after additional sampling was done using the Lumex.
Ed Swain allowed me to borrow the Lumex to look for additional areas of concern in the basement and to check the bags against the 300 ng/m3 clearance level. At 11:00 AM the Lumex was turned on and measurements were taken. These readings are also found in the 6-20-01 table mentioned above. The highest levels were observed on the bottom north side of the wooden partition o the east wall. The maximum reading was 45,000 ng/m3. Indents in the floor in the NE corner were just below 2,000 ng/m3.
At 3:30 PM all bagged material was put out in the sun to vent and the clothing was put on the line. Lumex readings were reviewed with Sarah. At around 4:30 the partition and the wash tub were removed, cut-up, bagged and drummed. The crew then cleaned the floor extensively with HgX. They also cleaned the wash tub drain and attempted to clean the floor drain; however, this drain was blocked and could not be cleared using their snake.
At 5:00 PM the bags were closed and at 6:10 the following measurements were made with the Lumex in ng/m3:

Bag 29: Alabaster - 6,664
Bag 30: Cereal boxes - 6,386
Bag 31: Shoes - 769
Bag 32: Pink laundry basket - 727
Bag 33: White laundry - 418 (can go to laundry)
Bag 34: Laundry detergent - 106 (cleared)
Bag 35: Tools & drill - 9,962
Bag 36: Shop vac - 7,437
Bag 37: Humidifier - 634
Bag 38: Red laundry tubs - 1,258
Bag 39: Cloths - 2,302
Bag 40: Mickey - 1,028 / 934
At 6:45 PM the furnace was turned up to 80 degrees F. and the house was closed up except for the window in the NE bedroom and the basement window, both of which had fans in them, and the circular ventilation method that was first used on 6/16 was used to fully ventilate the house. Plans were made to arrive at 7:00 AM to close up the house.
6/21/01 At 6:30 AM XX turned off the fans and closed up the house. At 7:15 Tim from Weston put heaters in the basement. The house temperature was 80 degrees F.. The contents of the following bags 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 40 were inventoried, photographed and drummed for disposal. The cloths in bag 39 were put on the line for additional venting. The Lumex was turned on a little after 10 AM and measurements were taken in the kitchen and basement. These readings can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 21, 2001. The title of the Word document is "07 - Lumex Readings 6-21-01." These readings indicated that levels at the top of the stairs and in the basement were above the 300 ng/m3 clearance level. The highest levels were seen in the indents in the floor near the NE corner and between the cement patches and the foot of the stairs.
XXX indicated that if there was a health or safety reason to check the gas pipes for mercury then this should be done. In order to determine if mercury was coming through the gas pipes, and increasing airborne mercury levels in the house, the gas stove and oven were turned on and measurements were taken. These readings began at 12:26 PM and are recorded in the 6-21-01 table mentioned above. All readings were below the 300 ng/m3 clearance levels.
Plans were made to do preliminary clearance sampling Friday morning after ventilating over night. Readings from the gas piping was done at the request of Shawn Thorsen from Mueller Pipeliners and with the consent of XXXXX and her lawyer. These readings began at approximately 4:00 PM and are recorded in the 6-21-01 table. These readings did not indicate that mercury was present in the gas pipes. Mueller re-attached all piping.
The Weston crew put clear epoxy on a section of the North wall in the NE corner of the basement and the following areas on the floor; the NE corner past the area where the partition had been, over the cement patch by the east post, around the floor drain, and over and around the new cement at the foot of the stairs. At 5:55 PM the Weston crew left the site and drove back to Chicago. Plans were with XXX to close and heat the house for preliminary clearance sampling with the Lumex on Friday, 6/22. The circle ventilation used previously was used to ventilate the house overnight.
6/22/01 At 8:00 AM XXX turned off the fans, closed the house, turned on the space heater in the basement and turned the furnace on maximum. At 9:40 AM the house was still cold and Mueller was called to re-light the pilot on the furnace which would have been put out as part of the gas pipe monitoring done on 6/21. The items in the garage were put outside to ventilate. By 10:00 AM everything from the garage which needed to be aired and re-tested was outside.
At 10:15 AM a Mueller crew arrived and reset the furnace so it would heat the house. The pilot light was on but the setting of the furnace was such that it would not heat. The furnace was put on at maximum. The temperature of the house was 73 degrees F at this time. This was higher than the temperature outside because the heater in the basement had been on since 8:00 AM.
At 11:21 AM with the windows closed, the space heater on in the basement and the furnace on maximum the thermostat in the living room indicated that the first floor temperature in the dining room was 73 degrees F..
At 12:05 PM the thermostat in the living room indicated that the upstairs temperature was 78 degrees F.. At 12:15 the Lumex was turned on for preliminary clearance sampling. These readings can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, June 22, 2001. The title of the Word document is "08 - Lumex Readings 6-22-01." At this time the basement was very warm; however, the exact temperature was not known. All readings were below the clearance level of 300 ng/m3; therefore, Frank Dickson, an Industrial Hygienist from Applied Environmental Sciences (AES), was called to conduct the certification sampling.
At 2:15 PM Frank Dickson was at the house and setting up the certification samples. At this time additional Lumex sampling was conducted. These readings are recorded in the 6-22-01 table mentioned above. All readings were below the 300 ng/m3 clearance level. The heater in the basement was on during this sampling but was then turned off because there was a concern that the basement was exceeding the temperature range appropriate for certification sampling. At the time this sampling was done the certification samples on the 1st floor and in the SE bedroom were running. The others were being set-up. The temperature on the thermostat in the dining room and on the thermometer brought by Frank Dickson was 85 degrees F..
At 5:00 PM additional Lumex sampling was done. These are also recorded in the 6-22-01 table. All readings were below the 300 ng/m3 clearance level. Bagged material which was out ventilating was put into the garage.
At 7:15 PM the temperature on the thermostat was 80 degrees F..

At 8:00 PM Lumex sampling was done while the certification samples were being taken down. These are recorded in the 6-22-01 table. All readings were below the 300 ng/m3 clearance level.

XXXXXX decided to check out of the hotel she was staying in and stay at her house.

6/25/01 At 10:00 AM all bagged material in the garage was put outside and the cloths were put on the line to ventilate. The outside temperature was 90 degrees, it was sunny and windy. At 12:00 just the bags were closed, put in the sun and allowed to warm. This was done to determine if the plastic bags were contaminated. At 1:00 PM levels of mercury in the bags were measured and the bag which contained the metal tools and the bag which contained the fan were found to be above 300ng/m3. These bags were discarded as mercury contaminated waste. After these readings were taken the Lumex was taken into the house to measure ambient levels of mercury while the house was opened. These readings can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXX, June 25, 2001. The title of the Word document is "09 - Lumex Readings 6-25-01." At the time these readings were taken the windows on the first and second floors were open; however, the basement windows were closed and the door to the basement was closed. All readings were below the clearance level of 300 ng/m3.
At around 3:45 PM the items which were outside ventilating were placed in their bags or clean bags, they were closed with duct tape such that an airspace was present and they were allowed to sit in the sun to warm. At 4:30 mercury vapor levels were measured with the Lumex in the bags which had been closed first. The results of these measurements were as follows and are given in ng/m3:
Bag 41: Blue garbage can - 153, 161 (169 max)
Bag 42: New tool - 29
Bag 43: Metal tools - 2524 (2500, 2700 max)
Bag 44: Old tools and plastic handled tools - 433
Bag 45: Chalk tools - 313, 309
Bag 46: Clothing 1 - 1014 (new fighting saints shirt, smith & hawkins pants, nylon pants)
Bag 47: Clothing 2 - 3000, 2980 (overalls and black jeans)
Bag 48: Clothing 3 - 842, 901 (light clothing)
Bag 49: Fan - 10, 720
Bag 50: Fan stand - 4059, 8131
Bag 51: Records - 25
The items in bold were listed for reimbursement and placed in drums for disposal. Also listed was a wooden table which had been used in the basement by the Weston crew during the cleaning process.
6/29/01 The items in bag 43 above and some of the items in bag 44 were listed for reimbursement, photographed and placed in a drum for disposal. Eight 55 gallon drums containing mercury contaminated items, and one empty drum, were shipped to the Xcel Energy Chestnut Hazardous Waste Storage Facility for proper disposal.
7/3/01 At 10:00 AM Carol Hubbard from the MPCA and I met XXXX at her house to take measurements in her garage and of two glass door knobs and two brass pulleys which she decided to keep from the bag of metal tools. Sampling inside the house was also conducted. The garage and the house readings can be found in the table titled: Lumex Readings, XXXXXXXXXXXXX, July 3, 2001. The title of the Word document is "10 - Lumex Readings 7-3-01." Before and during the time readings were taken in the garage it was closed. At the time readings were taken in the house the windows on the first and second floors were open; however, the basement windows were closed and the door to the basement was also closed.
Average readings in the garage were between 15 and 20 ng/m3.

Readings in the house were only taken in the basement and ranged from 138 to 225 ng/m3.

The bagged door knobs and pulleys were put in the sun at 10:27 AM. At 10:50 AM mercury vapor levels inside the bag were measured at 1" to 2" away from these items. The results were as follows:

max ave. R(%)
524 407 51
203 186 16
138 125 20
After the sampling in the basement was completed measurements were taken in the open bag of door knobs and pulleys. Readings ranged from 12 to 34 ng/m3 with a ten second average of 23 ng/m3, R(%) = 93%.

XXXX indicated that she did not feel comfortable staying at the house until the final clearance letter was received from the Department of Health. She indicated that she would probably be staying at her sisters house.



ATTACHMENT 2: LUMEX READINGS, XXXXXXXXXX, ST. PAUL

The Lumex was operated by Carol Hubbard from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Carl Herbrandson from the Minnesota Department of Health - readings below recorded by Judy Grant, Xcel Energy

Lumex Test Cell 2: 5, 25, 24

Tubes* Location Comments Reading** +/- Error Notes
Y Outside - 2:53 PM shade 34 - 60s    
Y Outside - North side of the house shade 39    
Y Outside - South side of the house near where Bay West fan had been blowing 566 & 417 & 546    
Y Outside - South side steps into house 2nd step 702 & 848    
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen just inside back door 1500    
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen 2 feet from top of basement stairs 1894 & 1700    
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen at the top of the basement stairs 1600    
Y Stairs - Kitchen to Basement 5th step from the top 2100    
Y Stairs - Kitchen to Basement 8th step from the bottom 20,000    
Y Stairs - Kitchen to Basement 3rd step from bottom 23,390    
Y Basement foot of steps 1' off floor 22,930 & 23,390    
Y Basement in the area by the vacuum 43,000    
Y Basement in the NE corner where the Hg drops seen 26,000 & 29,000 & 30,000    
Y Basement by large fan 40,000    
Y Basement under the stairs 29,700    
Y Basement by the kitty litter 27,000    
Y Basement dremel tool case closed 48,000    
Y Basement dremel tool case opened 46,000    
Y Basement joint compound 30,000    
Y Basement inside vacuum cleaner 36,000    
Y Basement floor under dremel tool case 46,000    
Y Basement dremel tool case - different location 27,000    
Y Basement wall near where pipe/device was removed 31,000 & 35,000 & 37,000    
Y Basement 2 feet in front of large fan 51,000    
Y Stairs - Kitchen to Basement steps 31,500 - 29,000    
Y Basement under stairs 22,000 - 28,000    
Y Basement NE 1/4; 6' from N wall, 5' from E Wall 34,000    
Y Basement NE 1/4; 6' from N wall, 5' from E Wall 36,000 - 39,000   6 inches from the floor
Y Basement SE corner; 4' from each wall 29,000 - 30,000    
Y Basement washer/drier 32,000    
Y Basement foot of stairs 30,000    
- readings below recorded by Melissa Klamerus, Xcel Energy
N 2nd Floor - Bedroom #1 - SE bedroom near NW corner of bed 529 5%  
N 2nd Floor - Sunroom area south side of room 482 1% One window was open
N 2nd Floor - Bedroom #2 - NE bedroom at south side of bed 440 500%  
N 2nd Floor - In hallway just outside NW bedroom door 391 4%  
N 2nd Floor - Bedroom #3 - NW w/ computer middle of room 408 7%  
N 2nd Floor - Bathroom middle of room 314 8%  
N 2nd Floor - Top of Stairs   317 11%  
N w/hoses        
N 1st floor - Dinning room runner On runner 1575 8%  
N 1st floor - Landing of stairs at bottom of stairs 1170 0%  
N 1st Floor - Living room NE corner near stereo 1231 6%  
N Stairs 1 to 2 - 8th step from landing Lumex hose at step 1215 3%  
N Stairs 1 to 2 - Top of Stairs held at waist, hose 1.5' from floor 139 10% window open at top of stairs
N Stairs 1 to 2 - Top of Stairs held below waist, hose 3-6" from floor 248 17%  
N Stairs 1 to 2 - 2nd from top held below waist, hose 3" from floor 414 33%  
N Stairs 1 to 2 - 2nd from top held below waist, hose 3" from floor 304 10%  
N Stairs 1 to 2 - 4th from top   1099 3%  
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen In front of basement door, hose 2-4" from floor 2292 4%  
Y 1st Floor - Hose in front of door   2348 4%  
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen In front of back S door, on ceramic 3525 11%  
Y 1st Floor - Kitchen ½ between S back door and basement door 2618 7%  
Y Outside - XXXX's New Balance shoe bottom outside at top of S steps 232 92% Readings were too erratic so moved to bathroom where lower readings were seen
Y Outside - XXXX's Nikes Kitchen S entrance 1419 30%  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Cat's right front paw 381 -  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Judy's left shoe 323 8% Judy Grant's shoes - black worn Friday 6/8/01
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Judy's right shoe 298 2%  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Carol's left shoe 674 51% Carol Shoes
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Carol's right shoe 625 13%  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom XXXX's left shoe 268 25% XXXX's New balance worn 6/7/01
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom XXXX's right shoe 289 5%  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Melissa's left shoe 365 21%  Melissa Klamerus worn both days
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom Melissa's right shoe 460 11%  
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom XXXX's left shoe 540 14% XXXX's Nikes worn 6/8/01
Y 2nd Floor - Bathroom XXXX's right shoe 664 11%  
Y Outside - S Steps 2nd step from bottom 250 95% Reading outside are erratic -possibly due to air current
Y Outside - S Steps 2nd step from bottom 216 103%  
Y Outside - S Steps 2nd step from bottom 167 95%  
Y Outside - S Steps 2nd step from bottom 29 167%  
Y Outside - Asphalt driveway at door of car - car facing NW - car door closed 10 15% Once opened door higher reading was seen, 160
Y Car drivers foot mat 35 23%  
Y Car drivers foot mat 22 50% readings seen were 27,23,16
Y Car driver's seat see notes   readings seen were 7,8,23
Y Sidewalk - flowerbed 1 at corner of flowerbed (w/purple flowers). 509 80%  
Y Sidewalk - flowerbed II S side of house, at crack in walkway 198 50%  
Y Sidewalk - at crack 7' S of S wall, 3" W of NE corner of house 80 102% another reading was 200 with a very large error
Y Sidewalk - at crack 5' E of E wall, 2' S of NE corner of house 247 37%  

NOTES:

The Lumex takes instantaneous readings every 10 seconds. A 30 second reading with error will be displayed after 3-10 second readings are taken.
The Lumex was held at waist level unless otherwise indicated.
*Readings taken with the Lumex tubes installed, inlet air tube and muffler.
**Readings are shown in nanograms per meter cubed (ng/m3).
Suggested Cleanup level given by the EPA is < 300 ng/m3 (set for NICOR cleanup). Suggested human occupancy level set by ATSDR < or = 1000 ng/m.

 
  Readings below were measured at the MPCA on Tuesday June 12, 2001
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop ambient air 47 5%  
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Judy's right clog: toe/heal 153 / 115 28% / 27% worn on Thursday during initial inspection
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Judy's left clog: toe/heal 76 / 115 15% / 30% worn on Thursday during initial inspection
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Judy's right shoe; toe/ inside 50/55 14% / 6% worn on Friday during air monitoring
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Judy's left shoe; toe / inside 48 / 57 0% / 6% worn on Friday during air monitoring
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Judy's pants; back 49 / 53 3% / 7% worn in kitchen on Monday PM
Y MPCA Warehouse Workshop Bottom of computer bag 52 5% placed on kitchen floor on Monday PM

Next Section     Table of Contents


Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1825 Century Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30345
Contact CDC: 800-232-4636 / TTY: 888-232-6348 
USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal
DHHS
Department of Health and Human Services