Dive summary:
- Radioactive material found in the rubble of a planned hockey arena in Allentown, Penn., was finally removed, 10 months after it was initially discovered.
- The material, which may have come from a World War II-era device, was not considered a serious threat at the time and contained radium 226 isotope, which the county landfill was not permitted to accept.
- Professionals finally were able to remove the radioactive materials and say the land was not affected.
From the article:
Radioactive material found in debris from the demolition site of Allentown's planned hockey arena has been disposed of — 10 months after it was found.
The material, which contains radium 226 isotope, was found Jan. 7 when it arrived at the IESI Bethlehem Landfill in Lower Saucon Township. IESI is not permitted to accept and dispose of radium 226.
The debris, which may be linked to a glow-in-the-dark World War II era device, was not considered a serious threat at the time, but officials isolated the material until it could be disposed of, according to township documents. Earlier this month, officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection expressed concern that the material was still on site several months later. ....
