A radiation contamination incident involving strontium 90 in a private home

In October 1975 a private electronic service contractor, operating in his home workshop, drilled a hole through a Strontium 90 (15 mCi) capsule while attempting to repair a thickness gauge. Four days passed before he became aware of the resultant contamination and notified the authorities. Contamination was spead over himself, his wife, the family pet (a dog), the wokshop and living area of his home, furniture, garden and paths around the house. It took four officers from the Health Commission of New South Wales and another four from the Australian Atomic Energy Commission four weeks to clean the home and surrounds to the levels where the premises would be again occupied. A large amount of electronic equipment, personal belongings and furniture could not be decontaminated and has had to be stored for ultimate disposal. This, in itself, represents a problem because there is no Australian waste burial site and some of the objects, for disposal, are relatively large (e.g. carpets, pieces of furniture, furniture covers, etc.) It is proposed to discuss the incident, decontamination, health aspects and some of the consequences of the incident