Re: Smoke Detector Disposal

[LIPTONW@detroitedison.com]

You wrote: 
 
"John, why should smoke detectors be sent to the 
manufacturer?  If they are okay to reside in our homes for 
30 years or more what is the harm in placing them in a 
licensed sanitary landfill?  I believe they are designed and 
licensed for such disposal.  What do you think the 
manufacturer, if you can find one, is going to do with them?" 
 
See NRC, Health Physics Position Statement 150 (HPPOS-150), "Disposal 
Requirements for Specific and Exempt Licensed Smoke Detectors".  This states: 
 
"A licensee who possesses detectors distributed as exempt items is exempt from 
regulatory requirements regarding the smoke detectors, and they may be 
disposed of as ordinary trash." There is also the caution that imported smoke 
detectors possessed under a specific license must be returned to the 
manufacturer.   
 
Maybe there's an epidemic (oops, there I go using the "e" word, again) of 
common sense among our regulators. 
 
The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
It's not about dose, it's about trust. 
 
Bill Lipton 
liptonw@detroitedison.com