Two children hospitalized, New Britain house condemned due to high levels of mercury

Two children were hospitalized and a New Britain home was condemned after mercury levels 600 times the permissible limit were discovered on Tuesday.

The DEEP Emergency Response Unit responded to a call from a local hospital to investigate possible mercury contamination at a home on Hatch Street in New Britain after two children were hospitalized, according to DEEP director of communications Will Healey.

One of the children found a jar of silver-colored liquid and started playing with it, Healey said. The second child scooped up the liquid and disposed of it.

The DEEP Emergency Response Unit arrived at the house and conducted testing, finding levels close to 600 times the permissible limit for human exposure to mercury. According to Healey, the five remaining people in the house were taken to the hospital to be checked for mercury exposure.

The local health department condemned the house, according to Healey, and the next steps are being determined. Environmental Services, Inc. was contracted to help DEEP with the clean-up.

“There is no risk to the public at this time,” Healey said in a statement.

DEEP is working with New Britain and the local health department to relocate the residents.

“If you find a silvery liquid, do not play with it or handle it,” according to a DEEP statement. “Contact a professional to properly dispose of it.”