COLUMBUS, Ohio: An Ohio middle school was closed after 40 students and a teacher were exposed to mercury when a thermometer broke inside a science classroom.
No one reported becoming sick at the school that was closed Thursday so it could be cleaned and checked. A Columbus City Schools spokesman said mercury got on the skin and clothes of students and a teacher when the thermometer broke Wednesday afternoon at Johnson Park Middle School.
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency website says skin contact with mercury can lead to irritation and a burning sensation, and that inhaling it can result in chest pains and vomiting.
It’s unclear if the thermometer was brought in by a student, or if it was an older one at the school.
The district’s spring break starts Friday.