Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that Robert Peyser, 66, from Bellmore, along with Kessler Thermometer Corp., has pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment. The charges relate to exposing employees to hazardous mercury levels without adequate ventilation or protective equipment at their West Babylon facility.
District Attorney Tierney stated, "Despite being notified that an employee was suffering from mercury poisoning, this defendant and his corporation continued to put their employees’ health, and lives, at risk." He acknowledged the work of detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in holding the defendants accountable.
Kevin Sullivan, OSHA Area Director, remarked on the corporation's negligence: “Kessler Thermometer Corp. knowingly endangered the lives and health of their employees by ignoring basic safeguards to control hazardous mercury in the workplace and failed to acknowledge its employees were being sickened by mercury exposure.”
Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge with EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in New York, emphasized the seriousness of such cases: “We reserve criminal investigation for egregious cases involving serious employer misconduct, especially when workers are placed in harm’s way.”
The case centers around an incident on August 29, 2022, where several employees were exposed to mercury at Kessler Thermometer Corp.'s worksite. Mercury is a known neurotoxin that can cause severe health issues if not handled properly. Employees who worked with mercury daily faced exposure due to spills when glass instruments or machines broke.
Following a significant spill on August 29, multiple employees exhibited symptoms consistent with mercury poisoning and received medical treatment at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Tests revealed high mercury levels in four employees. One suffered a heart block requiring a pacemaker; another fell into a coma and now relies on an oxygen tank. Other workers experienced memory loss and fatigue. The situation prompted notification of OSHA, the EPA, and New York State Department of Health by a treating physician.