Our story this week comes from our good friend who works for a major Gas company.
He tells the following story:
“A customer had a gas meter and regulator inside her home and wanted it moved so she had more space in her basement. She hired a contractor (should have contacted the gas company) to move it. He removed the really old regulator (really old regulators had 1 fluid ounce of mercury inside) and gas meter then re-piped it so the customer had the space she wanted. The contractor spilled mercury in her basement.
Our company has some of us, myself included, trained in the safe removal and replacement of the old mercury filled regulators. If we spill mercury while removing the regulator, we contact the larger Gas Company and they send out their hazmat crew and if needed we assist on the cleanup. We are not trained to clean it up and we don’t have the equipment.
My brother was called in for the Hazmat (Hazardous Materials) cleanup. The contractor tried telling my brother the silver droplets were from him soldering the water line. He tried using a shop vac to clean it up that just helps spread the mercury vapor.
Just another reason why people should use a quality, licensed and insured contractor like yourself.”
You can learn more about these types of meters here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480493/
This election season make sure your home votes for Jim Hicks: Pro-Improvement & Anti-Bad Things!
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