Smoke detectors pulled from Concorde parts auction
Published September 28th, 2007
An auction of hundreds of spare parts from the defunct Concorde supersonic jet began Friday in southern France, as organizers quickly pulled five smoke detectors out of the sale amid concerns about radiation risk.
The withdrawals signaled a bumpy start to the four-day auction aimed to drum up funds for a planned park and museum in southwestern Toulouse, home to plane maker Airbus and its predecessor company behind the jet.
Auctioneer Marc Labarbe said the five smoke detectors were withdrawn from the auction because they were “contentious” — suggesting there could be liability issues involved — though he did not elaborate.
Earlier, environmental group Robin des Bois (French for Robin Hood), called it “scandalous” that the smoke detectors were included in the catalog, saying in a statement that “without a doubt” the detectors contained Americium-241 or other toxic radioactive elements.
Americium-241 is a gamma and alpha particle-emitting byproduct of decayed plutonium, and is commonly thought to be lethal when ingested. It is a main component of many home smoke detectors, acting as a sort of conductor that sets off an alarm when disrupted by smoke.
