The reportable quantity for mercury
spills in Connecticut is "all amounts down to
zero." Mercury spills reported to the Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP) increased
between 1999 and 2000, from 196 to 271. This increase
may be due, at least in part, to a concentrated mercury
outreach campaign in 2000 by the CT DEP.
Connecticut reports the largest
number of spills of any state in the region. The exact
reason for this large number was not obvious during
the research for this report. The reasons may include
a combination of the following: the low threshold
for reporting spills, heightened awareness among citizens
due to media attention on recent spill incidents,
and an active mercury outreach campaign in the state.
Connecticut also provided data on
the number of spills where cleanup was overseen by
the Emergency Response Program, and where that Program
participated in the cleanup. The number of spills
requiring a response increased, from 36 in 1999 to
115 between January 1, 2000 and February 16, 2001.
Three recent spills (two in December
2000 and one in January 2001) occurred at schools.
One of these was due to a broken blood pressure device,
another to a broken barometer, and the last from a
vial of mercury brought to the school by a student.
In each case, the CT DEP was notified, and the spills
were cleaned up by private contractors.
UW-Extension