SOUTHWICK – Around 12:15 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, the Southwick Fire Department received a call that there was a possible mercury spill inside a home on Knollwood Rd.
Before arriving on scene, the fire department called the District Four Regional Hazmat Team, who handles situations like mercury spills. The fourth regional hazmat team consists of firefighters throughout Western Massachusetts.
According to Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson, the homeowner was doing renovations on the house and discovered the possible chemical.
Once entering the home, the hazmat team mitigated the area of the floor where the spill was located. Some of the carpeting was cut out in order to retrieve the entirety of the spill, and then neutralizers were added to the process.
Members of the District Four Regional Hazmat team prepare to enter a home that had a mercury spill. (Photo from Southwick Fire Department)
Anderson said that the cause was most likely due to an old mercury thermometer that could have gotten trapped in the plumbing, before the current residents lived in the house.
It was determined that the mercury probably didn’t arrive into the drain recently, but rather over time.
“It was probably sitting in the drain all these years,” said Anderson.
With the Southwick Fire Department overseeing the situation, the Mass DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) was also on scene to help confirm it was safe for the homeowners to return into their home.
Anderson is urging homeowners throughout Southwick that if they find an old mercury thermometer, to take it to a household hazardous disposable facility. The nearest facility is in Westfield on 190 East Main, right on Route 20.
