Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said yesterday that many units still have not been inspected.

"When we're assessing the units, once we find one that's contaminated it sort of extends the amount of time that it's going to take," Okubo said.

Contamination was found in 13 units out of 73 units screened in seven buildings, Okubo said.

Ten of the contaminated units were cleaned and cleared yesterday, Okubo said.

The cleanup includes air monitoring. Units that are affected are being cleared of rugs and other items that may be sources of mercury vapors.

The slow process has frustrated many families who have not been allowed to return to their apartments since Monday. Between 50 and 60 people have been forced to live at a Red Cross evacuation center at Halawa District Park Gymnasium since then.

Yesterday, residents were allowed to retrieve items from their units. But people had to wear protective footwear and all items were thoroughly screened for mercury.

Many of the displaced residents said they also were angry because the Health Department was not keeping them updated on the cleanup.

In response, Okubo said the department will be delivering a daily bulletin to those at the evacuation center.

The cleanup is being done by Pacific Environmental Corp. Okubo said she did not know how much the effort will cost taxpayers, or how much mercury had been recovered as of yesterday.

"Our focus is removing people from the contaminated areas, and that's what we've been concentrating all of our efforts on," she said.

The around-the-clock cleanup has been going on since midafternoon Monday, when many of Pu'uwai Momi's 1,100 residents were forced to leave their homes after elemental mercury was found in apartments, in parking lots and other common areas. The mercury was brought to the project by children who found the element at an abandoned pumphouse near Pearl Harbor's Richardson Field last weekend.

Although the mercury droplets themselves pose little health risks, vapors from the liquid metal can cause serious illnesses.

Yesterday, about 100 Pu'uwai Momi residents took advantage of free mercury screening tests offered by the Health Department. Results of those tests should be available in a week, Okubo said.

So far, there have been no reports of illnesses related to the mercury exposure.

Okubo said the department has not determined if it will take enforcement actions against the parties responsible for allowing the mercury to be accessible to the children. Inspectors found mercury splattered throughout the abandoned pumphouse.

The Navy transferred ownership of the building to the state in August 1962. Last year, the land was conveyed to the state Department of Defense.

Defense spokesman Capt. Charles Anthony said the federal government is responsible for cleaning up the facility under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites.

Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Dean Higuchi said the federal agency has not been asked to assist the state in its investigation or the cleanup. He said the state has the authority to conduct an investigation and issue penalties.