A graduate student who claims to have been poisoned by mercury while on campus has not yet supplied University health officials with documentation to prove her claim.

Much information, including the reason the woman has not confirmed the accusation, is still unclear, said Dave Stormer, assistant vice president for University safety and environmental services.

"We're kind of in the middle," Stormer said. "I don't understand much of this right now."

The woman, whose name is being withheld by University officials, was allegedly poisoned while working in Pond Laboratory. During 1991, there were two spills reported in the building during renovation work -- one involving the discovery of about a teaspoon and another occurring when a cabinet or box overturned, spilling about a pint.

No employees have requested medical examinations in relation to the alleged poisoning since it was reported, Stormer said.

Maurine Claver, manager of environmental health for the University, would not comment on conversations between herself and the woman, but said the requested information was not provided and the issue is completed.

"As far as we're concerned there's no patient," Claver said.

The University first heard about the alleged poisoning through an acquaintance of the gradaute student's, Claver said.

Sandra O'Donnell, registered nurse and coordinator for the Central Pennsylvania Poison Center, said doctors can confirm mercury exposure through tests such as blood or urine.

Acute poisoning usually results from intense exposure for less than eight hours, but the health effects depend on other factors such as the amount of vapors in the air, and how a spill may have been handled, O'Donnell said.

Mercury is most often stored in instrumentation, such as thermometers, but could also be contained in a vial, Stormer said.

Like other liquid metals or chemicals, mercury is supposed to be stored in an acceptable container in a stable location to avoid a spill, Stormer said.

Specific regulations for storing mercury may be included in federal and state Environmental Protection Agency or Department of Environmental Resources toxic or hazardous material regulations, Stormer said.

Spills are cleaned by workers in the University's department of environmental health and safety, Stormer said, adding that workers remove the material and dispose of it as hazardous waste.