Dozens of elementary and middle school students in Montgomery County, Md., were evaluated as a precaution after a student took a small vial of mercury to Francis Scott Key Middle School in Silver Spring, Md., Wednesday morning.
After a bus dropped off 25 students at the school, a teacher heard someone bragging about mercury, and the school contacted Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, News4’s Zachary Kiesch reported. Hazmat crews responded and all students were tested.
The bus already was on another run to Charles Drew Elementary School. At White Oak Library, the driver got the call that the bus may be exposed and everyone should get off it. Hazmat crews detected a small amount of mercury on the bus.
Students were evaluated, their shoes removed and bagged. The library allowed the students inside and closed for the morning. A clean bus picked them up about 90 minutes later.
"About 35 students had some level of exposure," said Dana Tofig of Montgomery County Public Schools. " And so we simply took their shoes off, isolated them and gave them something else to wear."
No one has complained of any illness or injury related to this incident.
