WOODSTOCK, Ga. — Workers from the Environmental Protection Agency are testing a local neighborhood for possible mercury contamination.
A home in Woodstock in Cherokee County is at the center of the investigation. EPA officials said they found mercury inside and outside the house.
An EPA official told Channel 2 Action News that the people inside a home on Apache Trail had up to a pint of mercury in their basement.
“They couldn't tell me where it came from. They said they've had it for a long time, a number of years,” EPA coordinator Stephen Ball said. "Some teens were at the house and discovered the mercury and accidentally spilled it."
One of the teens attends Ace Academy in Canton, and someone at school noticed mercury in the teen's hair.
The EPA tested the school, but said there were no signs of contamination.
Back at the home, it was a different story.
"Inside the residence we have detected elevated levels. We are working our way from the street to the residence,” Ball said.
Emergency responders found mercury on part of the driveway and the road outside the home. Crews set up orange cones to indicate the “hot zone.”
"So far we've determined that (the mercury) has come to be located in the yard, the driveway and part of the road, which we have blocked off,” Ball said.
Mercury is most commonly found in old-style thermometers. It's relatively harmless in liquid form, but if it heats up and goes airborne, it can cause breathing problems.
Health officials do not believe that there is any risk to neighbors, but they're offering to test surrounding homes as a precaution.
"I requested that they check my houses for traces of mercury and they were very kind, they did that,” neighbor Donna Johnson said. "It was an instant check, and my house is negative."
After cleaning the road and the driveway, EPA workers hope to make it inside the home for decontamination by the end of this week.
So far, there are no reports of anyone getting sick from the mercury.
Meanwhile, any residents with questions or concerns are urged to call the EPA at 404-317-9885.
WSBTV
