Radioactive Waste Found In Dumpster Behind Westside Supermarket
SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Emergency crews and a hazardous materials team descended on an Albertson's parking lot Wednesday after a radioactive material was found in a nearby trash bin.
The "low-level radioactive material" was discovered sometime before 8:30 a.m. outside the store near Lincoln and Ocean Park boulevards, according to fire officials.
The store was not evacuated, but Santa Monica Fire Battalion Chief Mark Bridges told KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta that customers are no longer being allowed to enter the building.
Podcast
"We suspect it's medical waste of a beta source, which means the beta source does not travel great distances, so we're comfortable with the isolation area that we have set up," Bridges said.
Hazmat crews scanned the store with a Geiger counter and found no evidence that any radiation leaked inside.
A county hazardous materials team was called to the scene to help dispose of the waste.
(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
