(QCOSTARICA) – Juan Santamaria (San Jose) airport firefighters were called in last night to attend to an emergency involving three boxes of radioactive material arriving on an American Airlines flight.
According to Guillermo Montoya, supervisor of the Bomberos, the alert came at 7:32pm, minutes after the flight arrived, when two ground handlers detected five boxes labeled as radioactive material type A.
Estaban Salas, of the Bomberos, said the two crew had apparently made contact with the material and followed was a protocol of washing and decontamination, but, they did not require medical attention.
Silvia Chaves, spokesperson for Aeris, the airport manager, said this type of material – products used in medical processes – is commonly carried on commercial carriers.
The situation did not affect any passengers or normal operations at the airport, confirmed Chaves.
The deal with the emergency, the Bomberos were backed up by a paramedic and hazardous materials handling unit.
Source: Nacion.com