Firefighters wore hazmat suits to protect themselves on Thursday at the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium .
People were taking apart a projector that had a bulb with mercury, and they were exposed to the toxin when one person dropped a bulb.
"We take these calls very seriously, treat them as such, and respond to them as such. That’s why yesterday [Thursday] was a full call out of the hazmat team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection," said Division Chief Todd Poland, of the Fort Myers Fire Department.
Poland was one of the many people on-site at the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium. NBC2 asked what exactly happens during a call like this.
"We needed to isolate, contain and basically overpack and clean up the substance," said Poland.
The Nature Center & Planetarium said the three people exposed to the mercury drove themselves to Lee Memorial Hospital to get checked out.
"It was a very small amount, under four grams, so some of it was on their clothing, and they were in contact with us," said Eric Raddatz, the executive director of the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium.
Lee Memorial Hospital issued a code orange to staff to stay away from the ER triage area until it was safe. Poland said if the people had stayed at the planetarium, they would have decontaminated them there.
If you're ever exposed to any chemicals, contact 911 immediately.