Contra Costa Health issued an advisory Tuesday night for areas of downtown Martinez near the Amtrak station, where a mercury spill occurred on Monday.
Officials found "minor" mercury contamination in the street from Marina Vista Avenue to Alhambra Avenue to Buckley Street to Berrellesa Street, they said at 8:20 p.m.
Authorities are advising that If residents must be in the area, they should stay on the sidewalk.
“Our investigations continue today, since this incident began yesterday, we now believe that the mercury was first located in a garbage can that's outside of the train station," said Matt Kaufmann, Contra Costa County deputy health director.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The mercury spill that closed the Amtrak station in Martinez on Monday was bigger than initially thought and may have spread to the platform inside the train station and into the street, officials from Contra Costa Health said.
The station remained closed Tuesday, and Amtrak trains were using the old train station a few blocks away at Ferry Street and Marina Vista Avenue.
Local
Kaufmann said the county was bringing in a contractor later Tuesday to help with the cleanup. County officials initially estimated there was 1 pound to 1.5 pounds of mercury spilled.
"We have not confirmed that (amount)," Kaufmann told the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. "What we can say is we are able to monitor for mercury in the air, which is really the primary concern. What we have found is about 1,000 times less than it would be to be considered immediately dangerous to life and health."
Kaufman said CCH was advised of the spill by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District around 3 p.m. Monday. The station was then closed.
Kaufmann said CCH is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board to further assess the situation and do more monitoring.
"The reason we issued the health advisory today is we really want to make sure people don't walk where the mercury is on the street itself and then bring their shoes indoors, and then the vapors can build up indoors," said Ori Tzvieli, Contra Costa County health officer.
There's no timetable to reopen the station, and the origin of the mercury isn't yet known.
Kaufmann said anyone who was in the area Monday should check shoes and clothing. Anyone who thinks they may have tracked through the mercury should double-bag clothes and shoes, put them outside, and call the county hazardous materials team at 925-655-3200.
He said people should not attempt to wash their clothes or put them in a washing machine, as that could spread contamination.
"We do believe that some of the mercury did find its way to a storm drain. However, we're unsure at this point in time. If that storm drain leads to a waterway, and if the mercury got to a waterway that would lead to the San Francisco Bay," said Kaufmann.
