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EPA and Oglethorpe County High School Officials to Hold Availability Session about the Oglethorpe County High School Mercury Spill in Lexington, GA

Release Date: 12/14/2009
Contact Information: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, niles.laura@epa.gov

(Atlanta, Ga. – December 14, 2009) EPA and Oglethorpe County High School officials will hold an availability session regarding the Oglethorpe County High School Mercury Spill in Lexington, Ga. on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Oglethorpe County High School Media Center. The Media Center is located at 749 Athens Rd. in Lexington.

Representatives from EPA, Oglethorpe County Schools and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will be available to provide information, answer questions and address concerns about the cleanup underway at the school.

On Thursday, December 10, 2009, a student allegedly brought a container to school that held mercury. The mercury was spilled out of the container in two classrooms. The mercury was tracked into an additional classroom and a small spot on the gymnasium floor. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency was notified of the spill around 12:30 p.m. the same day by Oglethorpe County High School officials. School officials used the “All Call” system at the school to communicate information about the spill to parents and students.

NOTE: A media availability session will be held prior to the public availability session on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, to allow officials to answer questions from the media. The media session is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Oglethorpe County High School Media Center, 749 Athens Rd., Lexington, Ga. To obtain additional information, please contact Sherryl Carbonaro, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, at (770) 608-1747.