When radioactive waste was spilled onto a yard in Linden, New Jersey, the state's Department of Environmental Protection and Energy sprang into action to safeguard area residents.

Linden police and Union County emergency personnel were called to the scene while contaminated grass and soil were removed. A cleanup crew, properly equipped with masks and gloves, removed the offending material. Everything was done to the letter of New Jersey's strict environmental regulations regarding radioactive spills.

The radioactive "spill" occurred when a Linden resident, who had an upset stomach following lunch, vomited after being given a radioactive iodine pill to treat a thyroid condition. Worried that he had lost his medicine along with his lunch, he notified a hospital. It in turn notified the state, as required by regulation, thus launching the cleanup operation.

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