Bomba personnel thoroughly remove the mercury spill in the hospital laboratory.
MARUDI: A team of firefighters from Marudi Fire and Rescue station rushed to Marudi hospital to decontaminate a hazardous chemical – mercury – that spilled from a broken thermometer on Thursday (Sept 21).
Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) received a distress call from scientific officer Law Chiong Siong at 8.56am on Thursday and arrived at the scene in a minute. He said the mercury spill resulted from a broken thermometer during an experiment by hospital staff in the laboratory.
“Fire engine – the FRT Scania – carrying seven firefighters headed by senior fire officers Awang Busrah Awang Mostapha and Hashim Norshidi managed to decontaminate the lab using tapestry tape to clear remnants of mercury from the floor to be stored in a secured container before being handed to the hospital for proper disposal. They then washed the floor surface with bleach to ensure no trace of the chemical is left behind,” said Miri Bomba chief Law Poh Kiong.
Also present was Marudi Fire and Rescue station chief Zulbada Alior.