Hanjin has been given three weeks to get rid of radioactive kitchenware that was found inside a container stored at the Racine Terminal in Montreal.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which issued the order, says some of the contents inside the box were contaminated with Cobalt-60.
“Given that Hanjin Shipping Canada Inc does not hold a CNSC license to possess nuclear substances, the order requires that the company remove the contaminated material it brought into Canada by October 26, 2012,” it said in a statement that followed a written warning dated 5 October.
The agency claims the contaminated material “does not pose any risk to the health and safety of workers the public” but fears it could lead to an “unreasonable risk to the environment” if it remains in the country for “a prolonged period of time”.
The kitchenware set off a Canada Border Services Agency radiation detection alarm upon arrival at the Port of Montreal in May. The CNSC was called in soon after and conducted an inspection on 1 October when it cried foul over potential violations of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.
Calls to the head of Hanjin Shipping Canada in Toronto, Frank Vanduyn, the individual to whom CNSC correspondences about the radioactive appliances have been addressed, were not immediately returned on Friday.
Explore the fact boxes to the right of this article to learn more about Cobalt 60 and to read the CNSC letter in full
