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Radiation Found in Sludge from Ottawa Sewage Treatment Plant

Material being transported to the U.S. for disposal was tested and turned back at the border
Feb. 4, 2009

Low-level radiation has been found in sludge from the Ottawa’s Robert Pickard Environmental Centre, the city of Ottawa said, according to CBC News.

Waste material being transported to the U.S. for disposal was tested at the border and turned back, CBC News reported.

The material consisted of isolated biosolids, according to the city, which were discovered to be radioactive Jan. 29.

Dixon Weir, director of Ottawa's water and wastewater services branch, said the biosolids were turned back at the border because "a very low level of radioactivity had been identified in those loads," according to CBC News. The city stressed that tests indicate drinking water remains safe.

The material is being kept at a site in Iroquois, Ont., a border town near Cornwall, and a hazardous-materials team is investigating the origins of the radiation.

Source: CBC News

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