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Radiocat
Man fined over radioactive cat waste
By Associated Press, 10/25/2002
WHITMAN - A man who ignored a veterinarian's order to flush his cat's
radioactive waste down the toilet was hit with a $2,800 bill. And Bill
Jenness said he's happy to pay it.
''I don't feel I was mistreated,'' Jenness told The Patriot Ledger of
Quincy. ''It's my cat, my responsibility, and I did not abide by the
directions I was given.''
Jenness's cat, Mitzi, an 11-year-old shorthair, was treated with an
injection of radioiodine after developing hyperthyroidism.
The treatment makes the cat radioactive for weeks, so special care is
required, including limiting snuggling time, keeping the cat away from
children and pregnant women, and using protective gloves when flushing the
cat litter.
Jenness said he decided to throw the litter in the trash after the waste had
hardened into abnormally large clumps.
''I was afraid of my septic system being clogged,'' he said.
Mitzi's mess was discovered at an incinerator in Rochester when alarms
detected radioactivity. Workers traced the waste to Jenness after finding
mail with his name on it nearby.
The radiation treatment by Radiocat in Waltham and cost of disposing of the
waste totaled about $5,000. Jenness said it was worth it because Mitzi is
doing well.
Radiocat's Web site says radiation from a radioiodine shot is probably less
than a person receives on a long plane flight.
But Thomas Burnett, a Whitman public works commissioner, said any radiation
in trash is too much.
This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 10/25/2002.
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