Family returns home after mercury cleanup

WARREN -- A family displaced by mercury contamination got the green light from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to move back home after this week's cleanup of their residence.
Shortly after moving back into her home at 339 Freeman St. N.W. Friday afternoon, Denise Lark said she was able to keep most of her appliances and furniture, but a vacuum cleaner, some mattresses and a substantial amount of clothing were discarded.
Lark had called the Ohio EPA on April 13, saying a vial of mercury -- a toxic liquid metal -- had broken in her home earlier that week while two of her children were playing with it.
After an Ohio EPA official measured up to 65 times the acceptable level of mercury in the air in the residence, the family left the house and stayed with relatives pending completion of the U.S. EPA-supervised cleanup, which was to be paid for by the federal EPA Superfund.
The cleanup included removal of furniture and appliances from the house, either to be decontaminated or discarded, washing of the floors with a specially formulated solution, and ventilation of the house, followed by a re-check of the mercury levels.