Former National Fireworks Site Cleanup Update 4/29/21

As a follow-up to the hazmat incident on April 28, 2021, at the former National Fireworks site, the official report from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, specifies the following:

“THE HAZMAT CALLOUT REQUEST WAS MADE BY THE HANOVER FIRE CHIEF AFTER THE HANOVER FD WAS ADVISED ABOUT AN UNKNOWN TYPE MATERIAL RELEASED FROM AN UNEARTHED BURIED DRUM DISCOVERED ON THE SITE. REPORTEDLY, A BLUE APPEARING MIST MIGRATED FROM A WEATHERED DRUM WHILE THE DRUM WAS BEING UNEARTHED OR SEGREGATED FROM A REMEDIAL EXCAVATION. HAZMAT TM PERSONNEL OBTAINED A SAMPLE OF THE BLUESILVER POWDER AND SCREENED THE SAMPLE FOR A VARIETY OF PARAMETERS. THE POWDER WAS IDENTIFIED AS ALUMINUM AND WAS NOT DETERMINED TO BE EXPLOSIVE. REPORTEDLY, NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT DETECTIONS WERE RECORDED BY THE INSTRUMENTS UTILIZED BY THE HAZMAT TM, TO INCLUDE RADIATION DETECTORS. TERTA TECH PERSONNEL, TO INCLUDE A RAD SPECIALIST AND A UXO TECH, WERE ONSITE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DETECTED POWDER DID NOT POSE ANY LARGER THREAT TO AMBIENT AIR HENCE TERTRA TECH COULD CONTINUE THE PROCESS OF CHARACTERIZING THE EXHUMED WASTES FOR ULTIMATE PROPER DISPOSAL. THE HAZMAT EVENT WAS TERMINATED.”

For additional information, please view the attached report. For information about the former National Fireworks site, please visit hanover-ma.gov/fireworkssite.