Contra Costa County Lifts Health Advisory Caused By Downtown Martinez Mercury Spill

mercury – photo: courtesy of USGS.gov

Contra Costa County has lifted a health advisory for downtown Martinez, eight days after a mercury spill was discovered near the Amtrak station.

Hazardous materials crews completed a cleanup of the element that contaminated a five-block stretch of city streets and the station was discovered May 8, Contra Costa Health said in a statement Tuesday.

“At no point did we detect enough mercury on city streets to cause an immediate health concern,” Dr. Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County’s health officer, said in the statement. “The primary concern was reducing the risk of people tracking it inside, where over time it could cause health issues.”

The department had advised the public to avoid walking in the area including parts of Marina Vista and Alhambra avenues, and Buckley and Berrellesa streets.

The mercury is believed to have been placed in a garbage can in the train station parking lot, where a city crew collected it, the department said.

Traces of mercury were discovered to have dripped from the crew’s truck along a 4,000-foot route between the lot and the city yard off Buckley.

Crews from CCH, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a private contractor were involved in the cleanup, the department said.

The source of the mercury remains under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Martinez Police Department’s tip line at (925) 372-3440.