Radioactive material found in Boise

BOISE – Low-level radioactive material is being cleaned from a Boise apartment, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating why the two people who lived there had it.

Authorities announced Monday that workers were cleaning a third-floor apartment at The Renaissance at Hobble Creek, as well as spots of radioactive material found on stairs and a sidewalk.

“We think the chances are very low that neighbors came into contact with those isolated spots,” said Greg Weigel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

He said there was no threat to the public, but it’s unclear how long the cleanup will take. He said the material on the stairs and sidewalk likely came from liquid dripping from something.

Weigel said the apartment’s two occupants for unknown reasons were trying to separate and isolate radioactive material from store-bought goods such as smoke detectors and radium dials on instruments. The apartment also contained uranium ore.

The occupants’ names were not released, and Weigel said the two agreed to move out of the apartment while it is made safe.

Boise police investigated Wednesday but said there wasn’t enough material for a criminal violation. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Lara Uselding said an inspector went to the apartment Wednesday after the agency received a tip, and the occupants allowed the inspector inside. She also didn’t know why the occupants were trying to separate radioactive material from store-bought goods. “That’s something that’s being investigated by the NRC – the nature of the individuals’ intent,” she said.

Weigel said the hazardous material in the apartment included toxic and radioactive substances, along with some unknown substances that authorities were analyzing.