Published: April 18th, 2012 at 3:07 pm ET
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Title: Vomiting road workers hospitalized after exposing mysterious nuclear waste
Source: Fox News
Date: Apr 18, 2012
Vomiting road workers hospitalized after exposing mysterious nuclear waste
Road workers began vomiting and were hospitalized Wednesday after being exposed to suspected nuclear material, unearthed during a highway upgrade in Australia.Meanwhile the country’s nuclear authority was scrambling for answers after the apparent radioactive waste was uncovered on the Pacific Highway south of Port Macquarie, in New South Wales.
The material, said to include cesium, is believed to have been buried after a truck carrying radioactive isotopes from Sydney’s Lucas Heights nuclear reactor crashed in the area in December 1980, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph reported. The isotopes are believed to have been destined for the US. [...]
And in scenes akin to a Hollywood disaster film, officials from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANTSO) — the government agency behind the Lucas Heights reactor — were digging through 30-year-old files for information. [...]
Title: Workers sick amid highway radiation scare
Source: ABC Australia
Date: Apr 17, 2012
John Mackay, a doctor who treated police who became ill at the crash site in 1980, says he is convinced they suffered radiation poisoning.Dr Mackay says the officers handled radioactive mater that was onboard the truck.
“The police were instructed by Lucas Heights to approach the radioactive containers, of which there were several, but in particular the caesium-137 containers and put their arms inside of it to check if the inside radioisotope had been broken,” he said.
“Within seconds or minutes the men felt intensely sick.”
Road upgrade project manager Bob Higgins
- “As we’ve taken down the cutting, there we exposed the face of the existing material [and] came across a clay material that, when it’s exposed to air, gets an orange streak through it”
- “There were a number of workers that felt a little bit of nausea and there was a bit of vomiting when they were in close proximity”
Published: April 18th, 2012 at 3:07 pm ET
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sending...
Sadly, they'll probably die, if the dose was high enough to induce acute nausea/vomiting.
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The symptoms of panic and exposure are identical at that stage.
Lets keep an eye on this one.
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Maybe they should smile!
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DannieJ,
I don't think the men were told they had radioactive exposure in the onset, so I would think fear was not an issue, This inf. may have surfaced later ?
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Why would they be panicking if they didn't know it was radioactive yet.
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What f$%^ing idiot at Lucas Heights told the police to "put their arms inside"?
This isn't going to end well. Check for Lucas Heights management on departing flights.
The Japanese may be docile, but not a bunch of pissed Ozzies…
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That is absolutely terrifying to me.
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Nuclear power, the gift that keeps on giving!
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This version of the story was posted by someone on the radiation network earlier today:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/site/?pageid=event_desc&edis_id=ED-20120418-34929-AUS
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News video !
The video report I posted said cesium and americium were being transported ! Police Handlers advised at the time by AEC moved it from roadway and were told to go for a swim in a nearby creek to wash of any particles that may have broke free !!!
Tells me they knew this was some nasty stuff and should be washed off quickly and not to take it elsewhere on body and clothing !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0eGsfVOaBk&feature=player_embedded
*Audio report* Radioactive waste not found on highway site: minister
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/radioactive-waste-not-found–on-highway-site-minister-20120418-1x75d.html
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Sure kill the fishes too !
Contaminate the whole area, and it problem did, because they did not deal with it properly to begin with !
AEC, Is there a water supply near by ?
Police, Yes a nearby Cutty creek !
AEC, Then go for a swim mate and wash off any of the escaped nasties !
: o
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ADMIN.
Oops! Page Not Found
Title: Vomiting road workers hospitalized after exposing mysterious nuclear waste
Source: Fox News
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@xdrfox: know it's o.t., but I wanted to make sure you saw this series on Edward Bernays; gives an excellent overview into the man's genius…
The Century of Self Happiness Machines part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUYFr-uDQgg&feature=related
P.S. this was mirrored within the off topic group…
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AFTERSHOCK,
Thx much, do later, daughter coming to take me to dinner for BD Yesterday !
: )
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Happy birthday, Dr. Fox! May all your birthday wishes come true!
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What-About-The-Kids.
Thx dear !
: )
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AFTERSHOCK,
Did you see in part 3.
Rowdy Yates, Clint Eastwood and trail boss, Gil Favor,…
"Eric Fleming" from TV's Rawhide there in the advertisement the new Belair Convertible before he was known, This was a few years before the seres came out, Ran 2nd longest in history, 7 1/2 years then !
Head em up, move um out, RAW HIDE.,,, Yeee, Haaa ~
: D
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So… they just buried it at the scene and didn't bother to mark it or label it or anything? Wonder how many such undocumented rad waste dumps there are scattered throughout the world. Sort of seems like they never actually intended to deal with it responsibly at all, doesn't it?
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Obviously back in the day when the earth was green and able to absorb all of mankind's arrogant stupidity…
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Can't see, smell, or detect radiation 'til it's too late. Must be outlawed. Got to be outlawed.
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Once Again It Is Proved…Human beings are not sufficiently evolved, developed, and wise, to handle anything and everything to do with radioactivity in a safe, responsible manner!
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Hell, we never even learned to handle sticks and stones responsibly, but those times may return. Maybe we can get it right next go around.
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@Flap +100.
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re: sticks and stones
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. “ ” Albert Einstein (1947)
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Sloppy safety from everyone involved. Having people put their body parts in radioactive containers is KIN TO PRE MEDITATED MURDER and they should be put in jail. As a Firefighter and safety person retired I kept great records and did not let one thing slip past me or I fired someone. Mark
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Frank Harris, an Australian expert of nearly 25 years in radiation protection states that similar to Japan/Fukushima they have become sick through worry.
Radiation did not cause vomiting: expert
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8453422/radiation-did-not-cause-vomiting-expert
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Maybe Frank should slip up there and clean up the stuff himself. Also read an article where drum alledgedly contained Caesium and Americium.
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This is the article
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8453309/radioactive-fears-after-road-workers-become-sick
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I read on …
"Mr Harris made the comments at the launch of a public awareness initiative by the Australian Uranium Association in Sydney today.
The awareness campaign is aimed at creating a better understanding of radiative material as a safe energy alternative and not a risk to be feared."
The farce continues here in Oz.
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Workers' illness 'not caused by radiation'
Now they are saying the usual, all is good no radioactive material, move along.
This article has a photo of Police carrying something in a drum, presume from initial accident. No protective gear.
http://www.news.com.au/national/radioactive-waste-stops-highway-upgrade/story-e6frfkvr-1226331093811
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and then followed on to this …
http://www.aua.org.au/Content/180412MRLSradiationprotection.aspx
"“Radiation is a natural phenomenon that is well understood. It carries some risks, but it’s a matter of managing those risks, not fearing them,” said the chair of the working group, Mr Frank Harris.
Recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on managing radiation in the workplace, Mr Harris said the science of radiation had been developed and extended over many decades."
Frank Harris is uranium industry propoganda puppet.
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i've been thinking about this statement by the Uranium Party ..
"it’s a matter of managing those risks, not fearing them"
maybe they're right, i should not fear the risk of total annilation of all life on the planet – should one of those risks move out of 'management' .. like an earthquake, maybe ?
These liars are sounding no different then jap.guv saying 'you just need to smile more' … pathetic.
disgustingly selfish, dangerously stupid, deadly serious destructive a-holes.
NO NUKES – NO URANIUM – it's all got to stop , this crazy friggin shyte!
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richard,
How far is this site from your back yard ?
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hi Fox..
I looked at the map.. the roadside accident is 455 klms north from me, I was considering a drive to take a reading.. but it is too far just for now.
ANSTO – the possible provider of the rad material, is 60 klms south of me.
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richard,
No don't go, curiosity killed the cat !
: o
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but i can't really justify a 900 klm journey to take some readings.
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richard,
the story out didn't find nothing, cover up, cost of re-routing and reconstruction of a highway of that size and miles to do it would be astronomical !
Yes I assumed that you wanted to take readings, but then you may become ill, anyone need you where you are ?
Don't think you are expendable for some numbers we know are there !
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60 klms south of you, … saw your other post @ at 7:31 pm !
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I looked him up because of your comments, Richard. Search phrase "frank harris bhp billiton".
He has his critics:
http://antinuclear.net/2010/06/04/workers-exposed-to-radioactive-polonium-at-bhp-uranium-mine/
But mostly it's rah-rah stuff. He loves uranium, it seems, and his job title is the ultimate in hubris "Manager Radiation Governance":
http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/nfcms_rawmaterials_tmbestpractices.html
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ART AND SCIENCE OF DECEPTION
The Art of Deception: The Cult of Nuclearists, Uranium Weapons and Fraudulent Science; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/primer-in-art-of-deception-cult-of.html
Radioactive Beach In Guarapari, Brazil; via A Green Road Blog http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/radioactive-beach-sand-in-brazil.html
93 Long life Radiation Contaminants; via A Green Road Blog http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/93-long-lived-nuclear-elements.html
Tokyo; is it safe to live in or visit? via A Green Road Blog http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/tokyo-is-it-safe-to-visit-or-live-in.html
Fukushima Lies Movie Part I and II; via A Green Road Blog; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/fukushima-lies-movie-part-i-and-ii.html
Fukushima; Today's Titantic and Costa Concordia; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/fukushima-todays-titantic-and-costa.html
On 3/11; 15 Nuclear Reactors In Japan Were Damaged, Not 3 or 4
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/14-nuclear-reactors-at-4-japan-sites.html
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I had to visit this ANSTO site several times a couple of decades ago (it's the source of this questionable material).
It's the only reactor here in Oz, 50 kilometres south of me, for 'research'.
One day I signed in, and under the heading 'nationality' i stated earthling.
Management weren't to impressed when security called half an hour later to have a go at the 'lapse'
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Dr. McKay accused AEC of coverup after 1980 accident.
NSW Minister for Public Health accused Dr. McKay of ‘causing public mischief’
http://antinuclear.net/2012/04/18/radioactive-transport-accident-new-south-wales-1980/
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From a link provided by Whoopie (i think) …
'More than half of those who suffer acute radiation injury die within 30 days, not from the initial radioactive particles themselves but from the devastation they cause in the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract and other parts of the body.
Radiation sickness is so deadly because the ionizing affect of radiation alters the balance between protons and electrons in molecules. The process often creates free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules and in the case of radiation poisoning, cause disruption in living cells. The disruption often triggers a domino effect, propagating widespread damage throughout the organism's physiology'
http://www.dailytech.com/DARPA+Announces+Nanotube+Antiradiation+Pill/article10490.htm
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EFFECTS OF INTERNAL LOW LEVEL NUCLEAR RADIATION
Chernobyl Heart Movie; How Children Are Affected; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/chernobyl-heart-movie-how-children-are.html
How Cesium And Strontium 90 Kills Children (German w English CC) via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/german-how-cesium-and-strontium-90.html
Depleted Uranium Effects In The Human Body; via A Green Road Blog http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/depleted-uranium-effects-in-human-body.html
Radium Girls & Radium Dials; Ottowa Illinois, Death City
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/radium-girls-radium-dials-ottowa.html
How Dangerous Is 400-600 Pounds Of Plutonium Nano Particle Dust Liberated By Fukushima? Via A Green Road Blog http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-dangerous-is-400-600-pounds-of.html
Nuclear Plants And Radioactive Water Contamination; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/nuclear-plants-and-radioactive-water.html
Fukushima; Pacific Ocean Catastrophe Confirmed; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/fukushima-pacific-ocean-catastrophe.html
Fukushima Leaking Radioactive Water Into Ocean Plume; via A Green Road Blog
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/fukushima-leaking-radioactive-water.html
Japan Plans To Evacuate 40 Million Citizens; Russia Shocked; via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/japan-plans-to-evacuate-40-million.html
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alternate source – update on this story …
http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/mystery-illness-recalls-1980-toxic-spill-20120418-1x7qe.html
'In 1980 a truck rolled over while carrying several tonnes of the insecticide DDT, two drums of radioactive material and some other chemicals. Some of the DDT was apparently buried on site. It sparked a chain of events that saw allegations of a ''massive cover-up'' by a local doctor who claimed 13 people involved in the clean-up fell ill, and a parliamentary investigation.
Although the affected workers were exposed nearly three weeks ago and have since returned to work, the cause of the illness remains unknown and a 50-metre exclusion zone has been imposed around the construction site, NSW Roads and Maritime Services said.'
richard's thought – now it's the DDT, not rad material… trust MSM and govenrment – NOT.
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We saw the markings labels on canisters, for them not looking at video or reading other stories about it, you've been punked !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0eGsfVOaBk&feature=player_embedded
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Oh yeah.. as if a truck carrying critical nuclear materials for secret transfer to USA would ALSO have some other miscellaneous cargo like a few tonnes of DDT and a couple of sacks of miscellaneous chemicals. NOT.
The task-dedicated truck would have come direct from the nuke plant, and everything on it would be hot Hot HOT.
I don't know about the medical reality, but I would have thought that if you were exposed to radiation to the level that you immediately start vomiting, then you are toast. Go home and kiss your loved ones goodbye, and sue the b*stards!
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I've been wondering about this 'transfer to USA' business.
If that was the case .. it should have gone straight to a harbour and onto a ship … ie, a journey of no more then 100 klms on the road.
But no, instead it was involved in a fatal collision 500 klms from the source.
This begins to stink even more then before.
I now wonder what corrupt 'disposal unit' that had decided to cart the poison up the coast to some 'isolated' location for dumping.
I've seen the barrels with the Rad labels on them. It was rad material. It should NEVER have been on the highway north out of Sydney… it trully sounds like an illegal disposal was intended – not shipping to the USA.
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I wouldn't be surprised if unknown dumps of radiation and other chemicals exist all over the world. Not far from me in Illiniois, USA is Argonne National Laboratory. Someone I know was hired as a contractor to do some work there which required going through a safety course regarding the site. One of the instructions was that if your digging and you find a barrel, stop digging. Even the laboratory didn't know where all the stuff had been buried on their own site. My understanding is that most of it has been taken out but they just don't know that they have found it all.
FYI from Wikipedia:
Argonne traces its birth from Enrico Fermi's secret charge — the Manhattan Project — to create the world's first self-sustaining nuclear reaction. Code-named the "Metallurgical Lab", the team constructed Chicago Pile-1, which achieved criticality on December 2, 1942, underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg football field stands. Because the experiments were deemed too dangerous to conduct in a major city, the operations were moved to a spot in nearby Palos Hills and renamed "Argonne" after the surrounding forest.
On July 1, 1946, the laboratory was formally chartered as Argonne National Laboratory to conduct "cooperative research in nucleonics." At the request of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, it began developing nuclear reactors for the nation's peaceful nuclear energy program. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the laboratory moved to a larger location in…
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a larger location in…Lemont, Illinois.
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enoughalready45,
What we talked about at Las Alamos turned out to be true, dumping grounds all over the dam place in every arroyo !
Then there are the dumping grounds in the oceans !
Dumping Radioactive Waste at Sea, Radiation Legacy
To Mass Animal Death on Friday, November 11, 2011
http://members.beforeitsnews.com/story/1356/501/
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"Buried fury at betrayal bubbles to the surface "
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/buried-fury-at-betrayal-bubbles-to-the-surface/story-e6freuzi-1226333766448
"THEY were the two police officers literally left holding cans of radioactive material after a fatal truck crash in 1980.
Now 32 years on, former officers Bob Deards and Terry Clifton remain every bit as bitter about being abandoned by authorities and years of excruciating health problems – which followed exposure to deadly radiation and pesticides – as they did following the crash.
Mr Deard's family paid a high price. His wife was four months pregnant at the time of the crash and, after advice from a specialist, they made the heartwrenching decision to terminate for fear of birth defects."
richard – wow 'abandoned by authorities ', how unusual
authorities suck
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I live 25kms north of of the site and we haven't really known what's going on until the article in today's Port News, one of our local papers.
The heading of the article is "Highway fallout: Radioactive contamination ruled out." Most people are accepting that as the truth and have stopped worrying.
Apparently the orange clay gives off a vapour and was first found three weeks ago which was when the workers got sick. At least that's what I understand from the article. UntiI I read that I thought it had all happened on Wednesday.
Here's the website if you want to read it
http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/highway-fallout-
Wish I had a geiger counter.
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@magda, thanks for the local update.
I was going to check in to a local site on the weekend, but its so much better to hear from someone in the area.
As for the dosimeter, I did get one from the e shopping place, bay
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@ Richard, I'll let you know if there's any local news that doesn't make it into the mainstream press. I saw you'd mentioned above about the discovery being three weeks ago.
To put it in perspective, I can't imagine the contamination could be anywhere near as dangerous as the Maralinga A bomb tests in the 50's. No one even gives that a second thought. Yet, in my memory, there have been several weather events since Maralinga, where red dust blew from the Australian desert to the coast and over the sea as far as New Zealand.
The real danger at present seems to me is not airborne spread, too much rain, though there will be some evaporation if we get hot weather: but people working on the site carrying isotopes on their boots and vehicles and depositing them around their home. Hence the risk of children and pregnant women ingesting hot particles. And contamination of water from the run off making its way to Queens Lake and the ocean.
It's between Heron's Creek and Kew.
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&q=Google+map+Herons+Creek+NSW+Australia&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x6b75fb6fdfe1b82d:0x40609b49043a2a0,Herons+Creek+NSW&gl=au&ei=Aq6RT4KmOI60iQejgK2HBA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA
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Good point about Maralinga, i clearly recall the red dust storms that have hit us on the east coast.
The link for the local paper was invalid .. here is a new one with a comments section.
http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/exofficer-terry-clifton-has-ddtrelated-illness/2527997.aspx
"Ex-officer Terry Clifton ‘has DDT-related illness’"
["POLICEMEN carried a padlocked drum of radioactive material into shade of trees and covered it with a tarpaulin to keep the life-threatening material from leaking 32 years ago.
One of those officers, Senior Constable Terry Clifton, remembers being “absolutely soaked” in the now banned pesticide DDT as he helped bury the powdered substance on the roadside of the Pacific Highway.
“That’s what they did at the time,” Mr Clifton said of the disposal of chemicals.
After spending eight hours on site, he was vomiting and dizzy, and checked himself into hospital that night.
“Medical staff told me to go for a swim then rest,” Mr Clifton said.]
“But I’m just as upset to learn that not only were there highly dangerous radioactive substances, the chemicals and food together in the one load, but that the ruptured containers and the food were put back on the truck and taken to Brisbane.”
So the crap went onward to Brisbane!
I've post in that local paper's comment section and left a plug for enenews.com – waitng for moderation
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"More accidents, more substances buried, says Oakeshott"
http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/more-accidents-more-substances-buried-says-oakeshott/2529582.aspx
[Lyne MP Rob Oakesott fears the 30-year-old toxic chemical spill on the Pacific Highway might not be the only contaminated roadside area on the Mid-North Coast.
“What is starting to emerge from calls to my office is that there are other truck accident sites where drums of unknown substances were buried by the side of the road,” Mr Oakeshott said.
Mr Oakeshott has sought a review of the case on behalf Terry Clifton, who still lives in the region, and his former colleague Bob Deards.]
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Watch NBN TV's coverage, with footage of the original 1980 crash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V0eGsfVOaBk
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"Material not radioactive: ANSTO"
http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/material-not-radioactive-ansto/2526596.aspx
"The AAEC (ANSTO's predecessor) was not officially concerned with any aspect of the accident involving a truck carrying radioactive materials, insecticide and food which occurred on the Pacific Highway near Laurieton on 4 December 1980. The only indirect AAEC involvement occurred because [AAEC employee, name withheld] was holidaying in the area and he offered his services in an advisory capacity to the Police … "
"Records from April 1981 state the following:
"The sources were not the property of the AAEC, nor were they being consigned to or from the AAEC. They were the property of a 'geophysical' company and do not appear to have suffered any harm."
—
ANSTO have, on their website, refuted being involved …
http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/media_centre/ansto_media_releases_2013/ansto_media_releases_2013/for_the_record_pacific_highway
"Some of these reports incorrectly said that some of the material on the truck had been sourced from Lucas Heights."
—
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