Mercury has been discovered at Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park for the third time this month.
Hazmat crews say the toxic metal was found in a bathroom under Stanley Park Brewing Restaurant & Brewpub on Tuesday.
Although just a trace amount of mercury was found, the area was evacuated.
“We have to be very, very careful that every single last droplet is cleaned up because the effects aren’t acute and they’re not immediate, but it has very serious, long-lasting toxicity effects,” Capt. Jonathan Gormick of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services said.
The first discovery of mercury was made on Sept. 16 near the Stanley Park Pitch & Putt.
On Sunday, crews found the metal in a public washroom at Second Beach. Crews used syringes to collect trace amounts of the material from the washroom floors.
Acting director of parks Amit Gandha said the mercury is coming from thermostats, but it’s unclear just what or who is behind the leaks.
“So we’re talking about small spillage of mercury coming out of the old-fashioned thermostats,” he said. “Essentially, is somebody going around tampering with some of our thermostats in our park washrooms?”
Gandha said there will be a review of how the thermostats are installed.
There have been no reports of injuries.
Exposure to even small amounts of mercury can cause serious health problems. The substance is particularly threatening to developing fetuses and young children.
— With files from Simon Little