Hazardous material in Dockyard raises concerns
An anonymous source highlighted concerns about material marked “radioactive” that was found at the Sally Port special waste facility in the West End.
The source said the substance has been at the Dockyard location for as long as four or even ten years, but had been covered from view until a few months ago.
He explained: “Workers are concerned. There were no warning signs up for all these years and none of the workers are trained to handle this material.”
The US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention states that exposure to high levels of radiation could lead to cancer, acute radiation syndrome — symptoms which include nausea, fatigue and redness of the skin — and death.
The source claimed that workers at Sally Port were unable to receive proper medical advice because it was unclear exactly what the material was.
He said: “They have since taken the material out of the actual compound and placed it on the other side of the wall in a container, but there are still no signs up … there has been no concern for health; no paperwork was completed.”
The source also believed that the Bermuda Industrial Union supported management rather than workers over the situation.
When asked for comment, a BIU spokesman said yesterday: “The BIU is a democratic organisation, where the membership elect the divisional officers and shop stewards who represent their best interests in the workplace.
“As such, the BIU’s divisional officers and shop stewards are addressing challenges that membership stationed at the Sally Port special waste facility have raised to their attention.
“An initial meeting has been held with management and follow-up meetings are being scheduled to resolve these challenges.
“In circumstances like these, the BIU encourages its membership to address said concerns via the union’s internal mechanisms.”
The government website said that waste items such as acids, paint, compressed gas cylinders and fertilisers can be dropped off at the facility.
A government spokesman said last month that radioactive waste was “extremely rare” in Bermuda and handled either by the Department of Health or the Ministry of Public Works and Environment’s solid waste management section.
He added: “In this case, the material has been securely stored by SWM at the Sally Port facility, which is specifically designed to handle special and hazardous waste.
“As with other hazardous materials, it remains safely contained on site until appropriate disposal arrangements are finalised.”
The spokesman said plans were under way to transport the material to the United States for safe disposal, according to international standards.
He concluded: “The Ministry of Public Works and Environment’s SWM section is collaborating with the Ministry of Health’s environmental health team to assess the situation.”
The Royal Gazette contacted the Government last week with further queries about the source’s health concerns, but did not receive a response by press time.
• For a complete list of where to take waste, see Related Media
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