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Mercury Leak Closes SD Airport Mail-handling Facility

Associated Press0

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A mail-handling facility at the airport in Sioux Falls has been temporarily shut down after a package leaking mercury was discovered.

KELO-TV ( ) reports the mercury has been cleaned up, but employees at the facility haven’t been allowed to go back in nearly a week after the leak was found.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that can be absorbed through skin and mucous membranes.

Deputy airport director Richard King says an employee discovered the leaking package Friday. It was brought to Sioux Falls in a plane that dropped off several packages at the facility.

A cleaning crew continues to monitor the facility’s air quality.

Federal investigators are looking into who shipped the package, who it was intended for, and why the toxic substance was sent by mail.

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Information from: KELO-TV,

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