A rocking chair mishap caused a mercury spill at a South Toledo day care Thursday and led to the decontamination of about 30 preschoolers and five adults.

All were sent home after they were decontaminated, and the facility will remain closed until an environmental services company completes a cleanup next week, Toledo fire battalion Chief Gerald Takats said.

The spill at Gingerbread House Too, 5142 Ryan Rd., occurred about 10:30 a.m. when a child rocked over a glass tube containing mercury that was part of a vintage blood-pressure-reading device. A day-care worker bought the device at a resale shop and brought it in for show-and-tell, Chief Takats said. The children and adults went through a fire department decontamination shower as a precaution, though not all had exposure levels considered unsafe.

Exposure to mercury can cause nerve damage, Chief Takats said. He estimated that a tablespoon of the metallic liquid spilled.

First Published September 2, 2011, 2:20 a.m.