Emergency crews respond after medical waste leak at PMC

On a day of heightened national concern, a truck leaking medicalwaste yesterday on Witherspoon St. drew emergency teams of fire and hazardous materials officials to Princeton Medical Center, where the truck had come for a routine pick-up.

The medical waste — blood with a trace of radioactivity — did not cause any injuries and presented little danger, fire and PMC officials said.

"[The] blood waste really wasn't much of a hazard," said the Princeton fire captain in charge, Rick McKee.

Just before 6:00 p.m., a civilian at PMC noticed a small amount of substance oozing from the truck, PMC spokeswoman Carole Norris said.

PMC officials followed protocol by blocking off the area surrounding the Witherspoon roadway into the center and calling fire and hazardous material teams, she said.

Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad responded immediately, she said.

Soon after, a Trenton HAZMAT team arrived to decontaminate the area, she said.

PMC security officer Jean Archimeme was asked to close off the Witherspoon entrance at about 6 p.m., while he was eating dinner, he said.

He later became worried when he heard a rumor that the material was "nuclear waste," he said.

At 6:30 p.m., there was a general calm at the PMC entrance. Emergency vehicles and personnel were securing the area where the SMI East Coast Medical Waste company truck was located.

For about an hour, cars were diverted from the area surrounding the truck, which was next to a parking lot, while authorities ensured the waste did not present a major biological danger, Norris said.

Onlookers were curious but did not appear concerned.