A Florida elementary school was closed Thursday after fears that fifth graders had been exposed to mercury by a classmate, according to a news story on FloridaToday.com.
Police are investigating whether a 12-year-old student may have sold dental vials containing mercury to other classmates. They suspect that he acquired the capsules from a local dentist's office where his mother is a cleaning contractor, according to the story.
"This had the potential to be a very serious situation," said Orlando Dominguez, spokesman for Brevard County Fire-Rescue in the story. "But the mercury we're talking about is not absorbed very well if it's not inhaled."
Five students who admitted to handling the mercury were thoroughly decontaminated, while another 15 students were allowed to leave after it was determined they had limited exposure, the story noted.
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