"Mercury leak closes New Brighton school,"by Tom Ford, Star Tribune
Summary:
Classes were canceled at St. John the Baptist School due to a mercury leak. Mercury was said to have leaked in at least one science room, the hall, and the cafeteria. Students on the buses ready to go home were asked to return to the school and in some cases leave their shoe's and backpack's for mercury testing. Other students were asked to bring their clothes back to the school for testing. Short-term exposure to mercury rarely causes problems, however, if the mercury was a students shoe and was then transfered to their carpet at home, the exposure time is prolonged raising the risk of complications.
Challenge:
The challenge for this story would be not alarming parents. Causing panic among parents of the students at the school would not help, but it was vital to report in the case that someone in the school was not contacted about the spill and could have contaiminated clothes or objects.
Comparison:
Mary Bauer of the Pioneer Press also reported on the story. I found Bauer's story to be much more alarming. She talks about hazardous-waste removal firms cleaning the building, the large number of students required to surrender their shoes and backpacks, and she talks about the danger of airborne mercury, which that Star Tribune article fails to mention.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/education/16647949.htm