A family from Johor Baru was forced to evacuate their home on Tuesday night after a broken blood pressure measuring device caused a mercury spill.
Bandar Putra Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Mohd Nasib Mohd Sham told The Star Online that the device broke in the storeroom of the house located at Taman Saleng in Kulai at 11pm, spilling about 3gms of mercury.
Mohd Nasib said that the department received an emergency call from the owner of the house, 61-year-old Nor Haya Mohd Said, after she reportedly swept the mercury into a plastic bag.
Eight Hazardous Materials Squad (Hazmat) personnel were reportedly dispatched to the house.
“We received a call and when we reached the scene, we immediately ask Nor Haya and her two children to evacuate the house.
“We also asked them to go to the nearest hospital as the woman’s hand had accidentally come into contact with the mercury,” Mohd Nasib was quoted as saying.
Thankfully, the woman and her children did not suffer any serious injuries, according to Mohd Nasib.
“The cleaning operation ended at around 2.04am on Wednesday and the family was allowed back into their house,” he was further quoted by The Star as saying.
