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n investigation by the Environment Ministry has found that soil at former workshop and warehouse facility of ExxonMobil in Hueng village in North Aceh allegedly contains mercury, a highly toxic metal.

The field investigation was conducted from Aug. 18 to 20 with four samples of soil taken from the area of measuring 15x17.8 square meters.

“The mercury could be seen in the field,” Imam Hendargo Ismoyo, deputy minister of the hazardous waste at the Environment Ministry said on Wednesday.

He said some parts of the soil was infused with the metal as deep as 60 centimeters when the ministry’s officials dig it up.

The ministry said it would bring samples to its laboratory to confirm the finding before taking any legal action.

Officials from Environment Ministry and ExxonMobil Indonesia were slated to meet on Thursday to clarify the findings.

Vice president of public affair of ExxonMobil Indonesia, Maman Budiman, denied the mercury originated from its gas operation in Aceh.

“The area is used as a heavy equipment workshop housing tractors, while there is also a clinic built in the area,” he said on Wednesday.

“There is no production of mercury in the area.”

He said the management of ExxonMobil would provide data, including management on mercury to ministry office on Thursday.

“If the ministry finds soil contaminated with mercury, we are ready to discuss it with the ministry and crosscheck the findings,” he said.

The ExxonMobil team will be headed by the company’s safety health and environment manager.

The UN Environment Program (UNEP) said most people and animals poisoned by mercury did so by inhaling the metal in fumes emitted by industrial processes and coal-fired power stations, or by ingesting mercury in food.

Mercury may be released into the air when coal, oil, or wood are burned as fuel or when mercury heavy waste is incinerated.

Resulting mercury concentrations in outdoor air are usually low and of little direct concern.

However, mercury in the air can fall to the ground with rain, landing on soil or in bodies of water, causing contamination.

Lakes and rivers are also contaminated when there is a direct discharge of mercury-laden industrial waste into the water.

The ministry earlier said Indonesia was susceptible to mercury poisoning.

Indonesia imported 9 tons of mercury in 2009, primarily for use in dental clinics and small mining operations. Many Indonesian dentists still use mercury-based amalgam to fill cavities.

Indonesian government has announced plans to meet international standards currently being developed that would outlaw the use and production of mercury.