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Survey equipment causes radiation scare at federal building

Print | Comments () Posted by Martin Finucane May 17, 2011 06:58 PM

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By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff

A piece of antiquated survey equipment that was stored on the first floor of the Tip O'Neill Federal Building leaked radiation this afternoon, triggering a massive emergency response in the heart of Boston shortly before tonight's Boston Bruins playoff game.

Two Federal Protective Service police officers were in the area when the radiation dosimeter tags they were wearing began to sound an alarm. Firefighters were summoned to the scene at 4:11 p.m., said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

The police officers were isolated and a Level 3 hazardous materials incident was declared. A day care center in the building was evacuated. Firefighters swept the area using radiation detection equipment and found there was no danger from the leak, MacDonald said. No one was injured and decontamination was not necessary.

The device, a decades-old piece of surveying equipment that was only a little bigger than a shoebox, was isolated and packaged, and the fire department was awaiting the arrival of officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. The federal agency was expected to call in a contractor to remove the device, MacDonald said.

MacDonald stressed that there was no public health hazard and most emergency personnel had cleared the scene by 6 p.m. He did not know the type of chemical or radiation that was released. The building is home to a multitude of different federal agencies. Officials did not immediately know who owned the surveying equipment.