Hazmat team responds to spilled mercury in English Bay

Vancouver Fire and Rescue services says it deployed a hazardous waste team on Sunday to contain and deal with a spill of mercury at English Bay near Beach Avenue and Burnaby Street.

Peter Bridge, a battalion chief with VFRS says a passerby, who described himself as a chemist saw the chemical element in between two planters and scattered on the roof of the restroom building.

"It was probably brought in by persons unknown at this time, dropped it. It could have been in many things," said Bridge. "Mercury in that amount, I have no idea where they would get it. Mercury comes in thermometers, that would be about 100 thermometers on the ground."

Bridge says officials from the city's environmental protection branch will assess the mercury to determine how to clean it up and what its environmental impact is, if any.

According to Health Canada, mercury is used in, and released from some industrial processes and commercial products. People exposed to elevated levels of it may experience health problems ranging from rashes to birth defects, even death in cases of extreme poisoning.

with files from Tina Lovgreen.