‘Enviromental incident’ closes Strathearne Ave.
Load of metal waste sounds radiation alarm
Hamilton police have cleared the scene of an “environmental incident” that saw a stretch of Strathearne Avenue closed for nearly five hours Tuesday and included testing for possible radioactivity.
“There is no environmental or public concerns,” police said about 3 p.m. “All areas have been reopened.”
Police, including tactical officers from the emergency response unit, were called to a “suspicious circumstance” at Quantum Murray Environmental, at 735 Strathearne Ave., north of Nikola Tesla Boulevard, about 10 a.m. Tuesday, said Const. Lorraine Edwards. Two hours later an object on site led officers to call in the Hamilton Fire Department’s hazardous materials (HAZMAT) team.
According to a police news release, a truck driver had been delivering a load of metal waste to Quantum Murray that set off the radiation detectors upon entering the yard.
Quantum Murray Environmental employees investigated and found the source of the radiation, police said. The “radiological source” was moved to a different part of the property, and the area around it was cordoned off.
A “very low level” of radiation — less than what one would receive from a dental X-ray — was coming from metal pipes in the vehicle, city spokesperson Allison Jones said in an email.
Officials at the scene could be seen with a Geiger counter, which measures radiation. Police tactical officers were at one point wearing breathing apparatus.
Neighbouring businesses were temporarily evacuated and the public was asked to stay away from the area.
At the scene the HAZMAT truck could be seen, but crews never appeared to set up.
A truck from McMaster Health Physics was on site, but a spokesperson referred comments to the Hamilton Fire Department.
The HAZMAT team, officers from Hamilton police’s explosive disposal unit and nuclear employees from McMaster attended to help identify and detect the radiological source, police said.
According to its website Mac’s health physics department works with radioactive material handlers and monitors areas on campus that use radioactivity. The university has a nuclear reactor.
The radiation levels from the package were determined to be “safe,” and the material was removed from the property to be disposed of properly, police said.
The two people on the truck were assessed and deemed not to have received any contamination and experienced “very minor” levels of exposure, Jones said in an email. They declined treatment from paramedics on scene.
Radioactive waste can include byproducts from nuclear power generation and technology used in research or medicine, such as isotopes.
There are strict rules that govern how radioactive waste is classified and where it can be handled, according to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which regulates and licenses these facilities.