Student treated after reportedly consuming mercury

By Sam Fran Scavuzzo
Collegian Editor
October 4, 2006

An unidentified La Salle student was rushed to the hospital early Tuesday morning after swallowing a silvery liquid, University officials said.

Denny Graeber, associate director of La Salle Security, reported that the student was taken to Albert Einstein Hospital on Old York Road between 2 and 3 a.m. after ingesting what appeared to be mercury.

According to Graeber, the student found the liquid in a bottle while at Belfield Park.

“He then took the liquid back to his residence on an undisclosed floor in St. Basil and drank it because he liked the looks of it,” Graeber, a former Philadelphia Police officer, said.

Shortly after drinking the liquid, the student began to have a “tingly” feeling and grew concerned. He then had a friend drive him to Einstein for medical attention.

Doctors at the hospital alerted La Salle with a possible mercury contamination after treating him.

Quickly, the University called the fire department, which is in charge of cases involving hazardous materials, to deal with the situation. After arriving, Fire Marshal Lt. Ron Reagan surveyed the situation and made sure other students were not affected.

Students may have noticed the fire truck parked out of St. Basil’s early Tuesday morning announcing the Fire Marshal’s arrival.

Reagan found the bottle, talked to students and assured La Salle there was no one in danger, lifting the temporary quarantine on the room.

After putting the liquid in a HAZMAT container, he left the University to remove it.

“Physical Facilities disposed of it Tuesday by giving it to a private waste company,” Graeber said.

The student, after being treated at the hospital, returned back to the campus, a University official said.

scavuzzos1@lasalle.edu