Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 25) — The Department of Education (DepEd) ordered an investigation on the mercury spill in a science high school in Manila after five people were exposed to the chemical.
Schools Division Superintendent Wilfredo Cabral said faculty members and students of Manila Science High School (MaSci), who were exposed directly and indirectly to the chemical, will undergo screening and monitoring.
One of the five people exposed to mercury was brought to the Philippine General Hospital, but not confined.
Four others, according to Schools Division Office (SDO) nurses, did not manifest signs of dizziness or difficulty in breathing.
According to Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) head Johnny Yu, the spill happened on March 11, and they were only informed 10 days after.
“There is a box or a bottle na nasagi, natapon, nagkaroon ng leak ang mercury na nakalagay doon sa four vials. Aside from that, based on the report again, there are certain boxes of radioactive materials (labeled in Chinese characters),” Yu said on Thursday.
[Translation: A box, or a bottle, was accidentally bumped by one of the staffs. The mercury leaked from four vials.]
But in a press release from DepEd, MaSci principal Eva Nacion told Cabral the spill happened on March 18.
“The following day, March 19, a thorough inspection was conducted to ensure that no traces of mercury were left and the teachers reported the incident to Nacion, who asked about the teachers’ condition and how the spill was disposed. On March 20, the area was isolated, and Nacion sought the assistance of the DepEd Manila Health Services and relayed information to the MCHO,” the press release read.
According to DepEd Order No. 48 series of 2006 or the Observance of Safety Measures in Science Laboratories, accidents, whether or not they result in injury, should be reported immediately to proper authorities like DepEd, or other agencies “for the expert management of the emergency situation.”
Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can cause neurological and behavioral disorders, as well as kidney failure, according to the World Health Organization.
