Little Shop Of Horrors (Reprise)

Before porcelain — before even silver — dentists used mercury to fill cavities, rendering luxury condominimum conversions uninhabitable:

City inspectors have discovered dangerous levels of mercury vapor in Brooklyn’s tallest building, triggering a cleanup before the landmark is converted to luxury condos, the Daily News has learned.

Air samples taken inside the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, a longtime mecca for dentists, who use mercury for fillings, showed that mercury vapor levels exceeded the government-allowed limit in at least one room, according to a city Health Department inspection in June.

In a former dentist’s office on the eighth floor of the 34-story tower, an air sampler recorded 2,300 to 2,400 nanograms of mercury vapor per cubic meter, more than twice the level that would trigger a cleanup in a residential unit.

A third of the other locations checked had vapor levels exceeding the residential thresholds of 200 to 300 nanograms recommended by two government agencies, even though they were under the limit that would mandate a cleanup, the inspection showed.

Andrew MacArthur, an official with Dermot Co., the developer behind the conversion of the building into 216 condo apartments and retail space, said the firm is planning to replace the plumbing, which is believed to be the source of the contamination.

“To the extent that all the plumbing is being ripped out of the building, we don’t see that there should be any problem. But we certainly have plans to double-check everything when it comes to the vapor,” he said.

Experts said mercury can linger if not properly cleaned up.

See also: American Dental Association’s Dental Filling Options Information Pages.

Location Scout: Williamsburgh Bank Building.