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A busy medical clinic at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has been given a clean bill of health after the Environmental Protection Agency found the building free of mercury contamination.

Nearly 50 air-quality readings recently taken throughout the building with a highly sensitive gauge showed the clinic is "an absolutely safe environment," said Staff Sgt. Jacob Richmond, a base spokesman.

However, the EPA did find low levels of mercury vapor in the entrance to a crawl space under the clinic that was the site of a recent mercury spill.

As a precaution, Richmond said, that area will undergo a "thorough decontamination" to prevent the potential spread of any mercury still lingering after the initial cleanup.

D-M asked the EPA to step in after a recent Arizona Daily Star story raised questions about the methods a Tucson contractor used to clean up the Aug. 13 spill and about D-M's failure to check whether the clinic's air quality met EPA safety guidelines.

Experts interviewed by the newspaper, including an EPA official, said the clinic and surrounding area could still be contaminated because the EPA's recommended cleanup procedures weren't followed.

D-M initially said a contractor used a broom and dustpan to remove liquid mercury that spilled from an old sewer pipe in the crawlspace. The contractor who performed the cleanup later said workers used a dustpan and a piece of cardboard, followed by a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency filter.

None of those cleanup methods is recommended by the EPA.

Officials at Southwest Hazard Control Inc., the firm that did the D-M cleanup, could not be reached for comment Thursday on the EPA findings.

A Southwest spokesman has said in the past that the D-M cleanup complied with a federal worker-protection law, and that the firm was hired only to remove the mercury in the crawl space, not to investigate whether the clinic was safe.

The spill occurred during a $3.9 million renovation of the aging clinic as plumbers removed old sewer pipes in the crawl space. About 8 pounds of mercury — about one cup — was estimated to be in the pipes, but less than two tablespoons — roughly 1 pound — spilled, base officials said.

Liquid mercury emits an odorless vapor that can be toxic even in small amounts. It causes brain and kidney damage as well as vision, breathing and memory problems, depending on the amount and duration of exposure, and can even be fatal.

EPA spokeswoman Wendy Chavez confirmed Thursday that the EPA found the D-M clinic to be safe. Air samples from the building all contained less mercury than is commonly found in dental fillings, she said.

Chavez also said the reading taken in the crawl space entrance showed a need for further investigation or extra cleanup measures at that site.

The D-M clinic sees 8,700 patients a month.