The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Houston announced Monday 19-year-old Christopher Lee Melder is charged with burglary and unlawful disposal of a hazardous material.
The office also said he’s in custody on an outstanding felony drug warrant.
Houston Fire Sam Pena said trace amounts of mercury were spilled around 1 p.m. in Walmart, Sonic and a Shell gas station on the west side of town.
Almost 60 people, including a pregnant woman who was hospitalized as a precaution, had to be decontaminated out of caution.
Pena said the dangers from exposure in this particular case were “low risk” because the mercury was spilled on the ground and would evaporate, adding that it’s only dangerous if consumed or inhaled.
Investigators are looking into where the mercury came from and what the intent of the spill was.
Thank you to all of our FBI personnel, @houstonpolice, @HoustonOEM, and@HoustonFire who has been working nonstop since Sunday morning to make sure the public is safe and to identify the individual responsible for the mercury spill. Thank you!
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) December 16, 2019
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