Radiation in our sewage – solving the mystery
After a chat with Dr. Michael Binder, President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), I felt better about the truck that was stopped at the U.S. border on January 29.
The truck was quarantined taking sludge from our sewage treatment facility for disposal in the U.S. and it set off radiation detectors at the border crossing. According to Dr. Binder, the likely candidate for the alert was Iodine-131.
Iodine-131 is a medical isotope used in a variety of tests and treatments in hospitals. It has a very short half-life of only eight days. This means it loses half of its radioactivity every eight days and for all essential purposes, potency is very short making it ideal as a medical isotope.
According to Dr. Binder when a patient uses washroom facilities it then ends up in our sewage system and can radiate the sludge. This sludge is fertilizer during the summer but contractors find other means to dispose of it during the winter. This particular contractor was taking it to a landfill in the United States.
By the time we get to test the truck in quarantine again, the isotopes will likely have decayed completely. Tests will confirm this in the next few days but according to the CNSC, there is no danger for the residents of Ottawa.
For more information on CNSC please click here.