JAMAICA PLAIN

JP thrift store hazmat situation explained: Donation of ‘lead pig'

A manager of Boomerangs in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood says workers who were hospitalized Thursday after a hazmat situation are OK; the response was due to the donation of an antique container used to transport radioactive materials

NBC10 Boston

A thrift store manager gave more information Friday about a donation that prompted a hazmat response a day earlier in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, sending three people to the hospital.

The incident happened at Boomerangs on Centre Street. Police responded around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, saying an item that was believed to be hazardous had been donated.

In a post on Boomerangs' Facebook page Friday, Dee, a manager, said that item was an antique "lead pig," a container used to transport radioactive materials.

Dee said hazardous materials inspectors determined that the item had, at one point, held some type of radioactive material.

"Considering that several of us had handled the object directly without gloves, we were taken to get tests done to make sure we were all okay," the Facebook post read. "This was a first for many folks involved and given the level of risk and unusual circumstances, the utmost precautions and care were taken to ensure that the item was removed safely and that there was no potential spread of the contamination. We're grateful to the teams of people who helped us!"

An item donated to Boomerangs, a thrift shop, prompted a hazardous materials response.

Dee said the staff is OK, expressing gratitude to the employee who recognized the item as a lead pig.

"Without her, we wouldn't have known what we were handling and the risks," Dee wrote.

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