BANGOR (AP) – More than 1,400 pounds of metallic mercury were recovered during the third phase of the cleanup of the former HoltraChem Manufacturing site in Orrington, Gov. John Baldacci said Monday as he announced the start of the fourth phase of the work.

The latest phase of the cleanup will involve the removal of tanks and seven buildings that are so contaminated that their debris would be considered hazardous mercury waste, Baldacci said.

The site was formerly used for the manufacture of pesticides and chemicals, including mercury, which has been associated with human neurological, reproductive and immune problems. HoltraChem Manufacturing closed in 2000 and the cleanup began in 2003.

While there’s no specific deadline for completing the cleanup, the project is a Baldacci administration priority because of the plant’s proximity to the Penobscot River. The state is moving as quickly as possible to complete it, the Department of Environmental Protection said.

“We are making real progress,” said DEP Commissioner David Littell, who appeared with Baldacci and leaders of the Maine People’s Alliance at Cascade Park in Bangor as they announced the start of the fourth phase of the cleanup. The MPA is active in toxic waste and health issues.

Baldacci said the third phase of the project is now being completed. That work involves the dismantling of cleaning tanks and removal of debris. During May and June, more than 1,400 pounds of metallic mercury were recovered, the governor said.

The cleanup is being funded by Mallinckrodt Group, which owned the site from 1962 to 1982 and was charged with the cleanup because it is the only former plant owner still in business.

The plant was last owned by HoltraChem, which ran the facility from 1993 to 2000, when it shut down the operation and later went out of business.

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On the Net:

HoltraChem Cleanup site: www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/holtrachem/