Mercury for Sale on Craigslist
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DULUTH – Craigslist is typically where you'd shop for a new bike or furniture, but one Northlander stumbled upon 64 pounds of mercury for sale.
The metal was being sold for $650 by a man who inherited it from his grandfather who was going to use it for mining gold.
The Craigslist shopper reported the toxic sale and then the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District bought the mercury for nearly half the price.
Officials say if it would have gotten into the wrong hands it could have caused environmental and health issues.
"It's just better knowing that somebody that doesn't know fully what they have doesn't have it,” W.L.S.S.D. Solid Waste Services Director Heidi Ringhofer said. "We've got it and it's properly managed that's what's important."
Officials say if you find mercury or any other hazardous product you can drop it off at W.L.S.S.D. or contact your county’s environmental department or the MPCA.
