Mercury Leak Discovered During Cleaning in Yeonggwang Elementary School Science Lab

No casualties reported...
Fire authorities conduct emergency containment
Office of Education requests follow-up inspection by specialized company

A small amount of mercury leaked in the science lab of an elementary school in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, prompting emergency containment operations by the fire authorities.

According to the Yeonggwang Office of Education on October 18, approximately 0.1cc of mercury was discovered at around 11:20 a.m. the previous day in the science preparation room on the second floor of A Elementary School, located in Baeksu-eup, Yeonggwang-gun.

A view of Yeonggwang Office of Education.

An employee of a cleaning service company found a silver liquid on the floor while cleaning and reported it to the school, which then notified the authorities. The leaked mercury is estimated to be about 0.1cc (around 40 drops), and no one was directly exposed at the scene, so there were no casualties.

The fire authorities immediately restricted access to the science lab and carried out containment operations. It was confirmed that a small amount of mercury was found on the lower part of the science equipment storage cabinet. The area is restricted to everyone except the science lab manager, and the mercury was discovered during a routine cleaning commissioned by the Office of Education.

An official from the Office of Education stated, "The items contaminated with mercury have been sealed, and all possible containment measures by the fire department have been completed." The official added, "We believe follow-up measures are important, so we have requested a detailed inspection from a specialized company." The official further explained, "The cleaning service company discovered the mercury and promptly reported it to the fire and police authorities, enabling an early response."

The exact circumstances of the mercury leak are currently under investigation by the fire department and relevant authorities.