Felony charges expected in spill

WEIPPE, Idaho – Three students are expected to face felony charges after allegedly spilling mercury throughout Timberline High School.

The mercury spill forced officials to evacuate the school and call in a special hazardous material cleanup team from Seattle.

The spill happened after the three boys, whose names have not been released, allegedly took a container filled with about a cup of mercury out of a science lab.

“I think they were horsing around, fighting over who could play with it next,” Clearwater County Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris Goetz told the Lewiston Tribune. “It was spilled in several parts of the school.”

The spill was discovered on Thursday, and school officials evacuated the joint junior and senior high that day, officials said. Timberline, which operates on a four-day school week, was already scheduled to be closed on Friday, and school officials canceled classes on Monday as well. The school may be closed longer, depending on the cleanup required, officials said.

Workers with an Environmental Protection Agency Hazardous Materials Team found mercury levels in the school as much as 60 times the amount normally found in homes, the Sheriff’s Office said. No injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection with the spill so far, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The three boys – all juveniles – are expected to be charged with malicious destruction of property, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Experts say handling liquid mercury for a very short period of time usually does not result in any problems, though it can cause an allergic rash.