Hazmat Crew Removes 2 Canisters Of Mercury From Santa Ana Home

SANTA ANA, CA —Orange County Fire Authority responded to a Santa Ana apartment complex Tuesday, where a large quantity of liquid mercury was discovered, Patch has learned. Officials arrived at the 2500 block of W. MacArthur and Greenville location, where firefighters were told about the cache of liquid metal at 8:30 a.m.

Santa Ana police became involved when the woman claimed that her boyfriend threatened to kill her using the liquid, according to Santa Ana police.

The woman (who was not identified by police) claims that her boyfriend (whose name was withheld pending investigation) threatened her life, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

"She grabbed one of the canisters and fled his home and then reported the hazardous material and threat on her life to the police," Bertagna said.

The boyfriend was interviewed by detectives but has not yet been arrested, Bertagna said.

Santa Ana Police and Orange County Health Care Agency arrived at the boyfriend's home, where they found another canister of the fluid metal. Both canisters were taken away for removal by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

No one was evacuated during the search, and all of the mercury was removed from both areas.

According to the CDC, the element, mercury, is liquid at room temperature. It can cause severe lung damage in high concentrations, and low vapor concentrations —over a long time— can cause neurological disturbances, memory problems, skin rash, and kidney abnormalities.

If the liquid metal spills, mercury can release "toxic vapor."

The transportation of mercury needs to be handled with "extreme caution," according to the EPA. Check with Earth911 before packaging for transport on a household hazardous materials waste disposal day.

This report will be updated as more information is released.