High Levels of Mercury in 4 Disaster Site Officers

Four Port Authority police officers working at the World Trade Center site have been reassigned after tests showed elevated levels of mercury in their blood, state officials said.

All four were in good health and had no symptoms of mercury poisoning, said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Allen Morrison. High levels of mercury can damage the brain, kidneys and lungs. The source of the mercury was not known.

An increased level of heavy metals, including mercury, was also found in preliminary tests done at a building across from the World Trade Center site where the Legal Aid Society had been housed.