Dundas Square building demolition stopped to avoid radioactive contamination

Fears that radioactive dust could shower the crowds at Yonge-Dundas Square have prompted Canadas nuclear watchdog to stop the scheduled demolition of a contaminated building.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ordered HNR Properties to cease all demolition activities at 258 Victoria St., which was once a radium dial painting factory, because the residual radioactive contamination in the building would be released if the building is torn down.

Since demolition work is imminent, the order was deemed necessary to ensure the health and safety of workers and the public and protections of the environment, inspector Dana Pandolfi wrote in a letter to the developer last week.

A 39-storey mixed residential-commercial development, which would preserve the historical buildings facing Dundas Square and add a new tower behind them, has been in the works for at least five years.

The development was recommended for approval in a 2009 city staff report, as it met the official plan for intensification and reflects the citys design principles.

There was no mention of radioactive material in the citys report. The city issued a demolition permit in August 2012 and can revoke the permit if work hasnt started in six months.

It is unclear exactly when the demolition was scheduled to start.

Mike Grey, a health physicist who specializes in radioactive material, was brought in by HNR Properties to deal with the contamination. He says that they had plans to remove the contamination before the order was issued, but that work hasnt been done yet.

The amount of contamination is quite limited, he said.

The Victoria St. building has been identified as the site of a plant where radium dial painting or processing occurred. Radium was once used on watch faces to make them glow in the dark. The practice was stopped once the hazardous effects of the radiation were understood.

Excerpt from:
Dundas Square building demolition stopped to avoid radioactive contamination