Posted at 10:12 p.m., Friday, May 25, 2001

Mercury found at Mayor Wright housing

Advertiser Staff

Hazardous materials units were investigating the discovery of a small amount of mercury on a sidewalk in the 500 block of Kukui Street, in the Mayor Wright housing area.

The Fire Department received the call at 8:42 p.m., according to spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.

Nearby residents crowded around as investigators tried to determine how much mercury was present and whether it had been spread.

Mercury has been found at a number of locations from Wai'anae to Halawa since early March, with most of that coming from a pumping house below Pearl Harbor's Richardson Recreation Center. Children from the nearby Pu'uwai Momi housing complex in Halawa apparently broke into the building late last year and made off with a large amount of the toxic metal.

Elemental mercury is an odorless, silvery liquid metal. It can cause burns to the skin and eyes and, if inhaled, could lead to problems such as pulmonary edema and neurological and kidney damage.