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Smoke Detectors... nuclear waste dump on Magnetic Island?

Tue, 2008-03-18 15:44 — Cyber Activist

see Picnic Bay here:
http://www.magnetic-island.com.au/picnic-bay.html

Latest:
http://globalclimatechangeaction.org/sd2

Ministerial reply attached in PDF file

Cc Edi...@magnetictimes.com

Hon Stephen Robertson, MP
Member for Stretton
Minister for Health
Level 19, 147-149 Charlotte Street, BRISBANE QLD 4000
GPO Box 48, BRISBANE QLD 4001
Tel: (07) 3234 1191
Fax: (07) 3229 4731
E-mail: hea...@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Dear Mr Robertson

Recently I moved into rental accommodation on Magnetic Island. When I took over the unit there was a broken smoke detector on the kitchen bench between the living and eating areas.

I moved the broken smoke detector out onto my back veranda. I do not know what model of smoke detector it is but it was not hard wired. The battery has been removed. On the back panel are the words “return to supplier or to the dept of health for disposal.”

I have been advised by Craig Dunn of the EPA that the item is safe for disposal into landfill, and the EPA has been advised by the Dpt of Health to dispose of smoke detectors to land fill.

I am very concerned that I am one of a few thousand houses on Magnetic Island, I would presume, all of these houses are duly fitted (as per council regulations) with smoke detectors such as the one which is now broken on my back veranda.
I am greatly concerned that these miniature nuclear reactors (when broken) have been and continue to be indiscriminately buried into local landfill with the Qld Health Department’s full knowledge and approval.

Creating concentrations of nuclear waste sites via land fill.

Mr Robertson will you live next door to such an establishment? Will you personally come and remove this “perfectly safe” apparatus and leave it on your back veranda?

I hope you will be able to provide me with the proper and adequate advice on how to dispose of this broken smoke detector. I do not wish to touch it again. I will not dispose of it via my wheely bin and I do not wish to send it anywhere via Australia Post.

Yours sincerely
Anne Goddard

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Comments

Mon, 2009-03-02 14:33 — Anonymous (not verified)

Not hazardous

The ~0.2 micrograms of americium-241 contained within ionization smoke detectors is safe to dispose of in normal landfills. The americium is contained within an oxide and/or metal to ensure safety. However, it is not advisable to ingest the sample or become in direct contact with the sample for long periods of time.

Americium-241, however fissile, is not a "miniature nuclear reactor" as you put it. It would require more than 50kg of Am-241 in order to become critical.

If you are paranoid about Am-241, you could try using a photosensitive or heat-sensitive smoke detector instead. No radioactive elements are used inside those, and most fire codes accept these types of detectors.

Sat, 2008-11-01 18:47 — Anonymous (not verified)

I own a company that

I own a company that services and maintains alarms and you are really making a big fuss about nothing.

These alarms can be disposed of in your normal rubbish as the materials in them are not of a hazards level that is deemed unsafe. If you do not want to do that simply return it to the company that manufactured it as the address is on the back.

Someone so consurened like you im sure has $5 to send it to the company so they can dispose of it in a environmentaly fashion. If you are so paranoid about touching it please use gloves.

Although no problems are going to occur from touching these devices or being in a close vacinity to them, come on really we do have safty regulations in Australia and it is law to have an alarms in your properties. You think they would make it law to have one if it is harmful to people?

Sun, 2008-11-02 06:18 — anne (not verified)

put your name to your comment then

Why stay anonymous then?
Put your name to your statement that they are safe.
Yes we have regulations... but not all regulations are in the best interests of the people... in fact...they are sometimes in the WORST interests of the people, helping to line the pockets of multinational companies (who sponsor the pollies election campaigns who then -once elected- put such regulations into place).

I speak as a person who does not want one of your products in my house (or a broken one on my back veranda). I can tell when a fire is coming. I can smell it, see it, and the wildlife around me warns me many hours in advance ... by running away... I am not careless in my home with electrical appliances.

Yet I am forced to live with one in my house due to current "standards". It goes off every night whilst i am cooking dinner. It is a pain in the butt - and i do not believe that it is 100% safe to be constantly exposed to what it emits to continuously test the air. I also do not want to dispose of a broken smoke detector though our mail system.

However, on your advice (if you name yourself - and your company) i will be happy to send it to the back to you (or the company that made it) through the mail system.
:-)

Put your name and company behind your statements.

Sun, 2008-08-03 12:05 — Cyber Activist

2nd Letter of reply, A Goddard

Thank you for your advice to reassure me that it is ok to throw a smoke detecting devise which is broken into a wheelie bin which is shared with my neighbours and that it is also quite ok to send it off to landfill.

I DO NOT believe this.

I would like to know, which landfill site? Exactly, where?
I would like to know, how many broken smoke detectors are already laying in that particular landfill? I would also like to know if there are any protections in place for local people from these broken devices?

I do not wish to dispose of this device via my bare hands, via shared wheelie bin then to local landfill. I never installed this device or asked for this device to be replaced or removed by the Managing Real Estate Agent. I do not want it replaced. I do not want it in my home, or on the back veranda (where it currently resides). I simply wish to have it removed to the safest place possible in the safest possible way.

It was broken when I arrived.

It is clear to me from the view via Sails Rock, and trips myself to the local tip, that Picnic Bay Landfill is now full.
Further, I have no idea how many broken detectors are already in there? Do you?

I ask the Health Minister to guarantee that no harm will or shall come to me due to this direct handling and exposure from this devise now or into the future. Also that no harm will come to my 15 year old son from exposure between 1-10 meters to this broken device for this length of time (January to July, 2008).

Can the Minister personally give everyone who is exposed to this broken device some form of guarantee that no form of harm shall come to them immediately or into the future?

I ask the Health Minister once again, what am I to do with this broken smoke detector?

Yours sincerely

Anne Goddard

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