HEALTH CONSULTATION
Health Implications of Mercury Spill at the Subway Sandwich Shop
NEON PLANT FACTORY
(a/k/a TEXARKANA MERCURY AND NEON)
TEXARKANA, MILLER COUNTY, ARKANSAS
CERCLIS NO. AR0002263275
May 13, 1998
Prepared by:
Arkansas Department of Health
Under Cooperative Agreement with
The Agency For Toxic Substance and Disease Registry
BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF ISSUES
On January 8, 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 contacted the health department sanitarian for Miller County. The Subway Sandwich Shop located within the EZ Mart at 3920 Jefferson in Texarkana, Arkansas, had reported a mercury spill that occurred approximately two weeks earlier. A youth had broken a bottle containing elemental mercury on the counter top. The Subway Sandwich Shop employee used a wet rag to clean the mercury spill and continued to use the same rag to clean up the food preparing surfaces. Some of the mercury had fallen to the floor and a broom was used to sweep up the mercury .
The sanitarian requested assistance from the central office of the Arkansas Department of Health
(ADH) in determining if the Subway Sandwich Shop should be closed to the public. Furthermore
if the sandwich shop was to be closed, the sanitarian needed assistance in determining if the entire
EZ Mart should be closed and at what ambient air levels of mercury that re-entry to the buildings
could be made.
DISCUSSION
The EPA START Team conducted an initial screening of the Subway Sandwich Shop and EZ Mart with a Jerome mercury vapor analyzer. ADH was provided with a copy of the ambient air levels measured within the EZ Mart/Subway (See Appendix A, Table 1.). Based on the results of the environmental sampling, it was determined that exposure to elemental mercury could have occurred to those residents of Texarkana who frequented the EZ Mart/Subway. Possible routes of exposure were ingestion of elemental mercury from contaminated food or inhalation of elemental mercury vapors while in the store.
Several of the Jerome readings were above 10µg/m3. The ADH determined that there was an urgent health hazard and closed the Subway Sandwich Shop to the public on January 8, 1998. The ADH also closed the EZ Mart on January 8, 1998 out of concern that cross contamination from the Subway area may have or would occur. Closing the EZ Mart also facilitated the remediation efforts.
ADH concurred with EPA representatives on a clean-up level of <10 µg/m3 mercury in ambient air for the reopening of the Subway Sandwich Shop and EZ Mart (1). Final air sampling results taken after remediation have not been provided.
While the EZ Mart/Subway Sandwich Shop was considered an urgent public health hazard and
closed to the public, the estimated levels of exposure to the public were considered very low
because of the limited time they would spend in the shop. No data exists for blood mercury levels
or urine mercury levels for members of the community that may have frequented the EZ
Mart/Subway Sandwich Shop, but there are blood mercury levels and urine mercury levels for the
employee of the Subway Sandwich with the greatest exposure duration. The results of the
employee's blood and urine samples were below detection limits (<3µg/l)(2).
CONCLUSIONS
1. Exposure to ambient air levels of mercury levels in the EZ Mart/Subway Sandwich Shop prior to remediation presented an urgent public health hazard.
2. Because the facility was commercial, the public had very limited exposure to the contaminant as a vapor. An employee of the sandwich shop, blood and urine mercury levels were below levels of detection.
3. There were no reported or suspected incidences of ingestion of the contaminant directly
related to the mercury spill at EZ Mart/Subway.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The EZ Mart and Subway Sandwich Shop should be reopened when ambient air levels of mercury <10µg/m3 are confirmed.
2. No further biological sampling is recommended since the employee with the longest exposure duration did not have elevated mercury levels.
Appendix A.
Table 1 Mercury Levels
| EPA ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING RESULTS | mg/m3 | |||
| 1205 E. ST.(HWY 71) E-Z MART/SUBWAY | ||||
| LOCATION 1/8/98 | READING 1 | READING 2 | READING 3 | AVG |
| Ambient Entry | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Front of Register Tile | 0.004 | 0.000 | 0.009 | 0.004 |
| Under Counter | 0.134 | 0.239 | 0.155 | 0.176 |
| Ambient by Counter | 0.006 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
| Under Register | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
| Fresh Air | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Tile at Drink Dispenser | 0.037 | 0.025 | 0.031 | 0.031 |
| KITCHEN AMBIENT RESET | ||||
| Ambient Kitchen | 0.005 | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.004 |
| Sink Rag | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
| Dust Mop | 0.039 | 0.041 | 0.045 | 0.042 |
| Kitchen Ambient Retest | 0.010 | 0.005 | 0.004 | 0.006 |
| Kitchen Green Straw Broom | 0.003 | 0.006 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
| Mop | 0.014 | 0.008 | 0.013 | 0.012 |
| Black Handle Broom | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.007 | 0.005 |
| BEHIND THE FOOD COUNTER | ||||
| Under Counter on Tile | 0.015 | 0.014 | 0.014 | 0.014 |
| Tile Under Food Staging Area | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.006 | 0.005 |
| Tile Under Food Staging Area | 0.006 | 0.006 | 0.006 | 0.006 |
| Tile at Safe | 0.014 | 0.012 | 0.012 | 0.013 |
| Ambient at Counter | 0.005 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.004 |
| Retest of Front Tile | 0.098 | 0.114 | 0.191 | 0.134 |
| Fresh Air | 0.007 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Counter Top Cracks | 0.008 | 0.007 | 0.006 | 0.007 |
| Under Cutting Board | 0.010 | 0.011 | 0.014 | 0.012 |
| Middle | 0.056 | 0.061 | 0.081 | 0.066 |
| by Window | 0.040 | 0.026 | 0.019 | 0.028 |
| Inside Register | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.004 | 0.001 |
| Cash Tray | 0.000 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.003 |
| Counter Cracks by Window | 0.014 | 0.011 | 0.009 | 0.011 |
| Under Microwave | 0.009 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.008 |
| Crack b/w Wall and Counter | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.007 |
| Coke Dispenser Counter | 0.005 | 0.006 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
| Fresh Air | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| CONVENIENCE STORE AREA | ||||
| Entry Red Mat | 0.008 | 0.005 | 0.004 | 0.006 |
| 0.011 | 0.009 | 0.009 | 0.010 | |
| 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
| Dust Mop | 0.070 | 0.070 | 0.068 | 0.069 |
| Ambient Freezer Area | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Dust Pan | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.004 |
| Straw Brooms | 0.013 | 0.000 | 0.016 | 0.015 |
| Ambient Drink Area | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Table 1(continued) | ||||
| Location | Reading 1 | Reading 2 | Reading 3 | AVG |
| Mop | 0.121 | 0.068 | 0.188 | 0.126 |
| Ambient Storage Area | 0.007 | 0.011 | 0.004 | 0.007 |
| Fresh Air | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Snack Aisle Close to Subway | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 |
REFERENCES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, Correspondence with Pat Hammack, On-sight Clean-up Coordinator.
National Medical Services Laboratory Results CVAAS Method: Detection Limit 3µg/l for blood or urine.
CERTIFICATION
The Health Implications of the Mercury Spill at the Subway Sandwich Shop in Texarkana, Miller County, Arkansas Health Consultation was prepared by the Arkansas Department of Health under a Cooperative Agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). It is in accordance with approved methodology and procedures existing at the time the Health Consultation was initiated.
Tina Forrester
Technical Project Officer, SPS, SSAB, DHAC
The Division of Health Assessment and Consultation, ATSDR, has reviewed this Health Consultation and concurs with its findings.
Richard Gillig
Chief, SPS, SSAB, DHAC, ATSDR
