HOUSTON – About 30 to 60 people were decontaminated for safety precautions after a mercury spill Sunday afternoon in west Houston, according to the Houston Police Department.
A woman who was decontaminated was also transported to a nearby hospital because she is pregnant, police said.
The spill was reported around 1 p.m. at Westview Drive and West Sam Houston Tollway.
Police said the man had a lot of mercury and he spilled it in three different places around the area. It is unknown what the man was doing with the mercury.
Officials said less than a pint of mercury was spilled in the parking lots of Walmart, Sonic and a Shell gas station. There was no immediate threat to the public outside the area, officials said.
The risk to the public was extremely low due to the heavy metal being spilled on the ground, officials said.
The following streets were closed as crew quarantined the scenes:
- Westview at Business Center
- Westview at Clairborough
- Westview at West Sam Houston Parkway North
- Clairborough at West Sam Houston Parkway Service Road
The Houston Fire Department is asking people to avoid the area until those scenes are cleared.
A criminal investigation is underway.
This is a developing story reported by KPRC, a sister station.