(I wasn't sure if this should go in SI&CE or SMM&T-- apologies if I chose poorly)
This article has been circulating in the news today. Apparently a truck carrying medical waste (outdated radiotherapy equipment) that contains cobalt-60 was stolen from a gas station in Mexico. It's unclear if the thieves knew what the cargo contained (radioactive material), or if they were just after the scrap metal-- I suspect it's the latter.
If this stolen equipment ends up sold as scrap metal and recycled, it could contaminate a fair amount of recycled material. In the past few years there have been reports of recycled metal products (most recently pet food bowls, if I recall correctly) that contain unsafe levels of radioactive isotopes (including cobalt-60), presumably from improper recycling of contaminated metal. That seems more likely than the dirty bomb fears described in the above-linked article.
This article has been circulating in the news today. Apparently a truck carrying medical waste (outdated radiotherapy equipment) that contains cobalt-60 was stolen from a gas station in Mexico. It's unclear if the thieves knew what the cargo contained (radioactive material), or if they were just after the scrap metal-- I suspect it's the latter.
If this stolen equipment ends up sold as scrap metal and recycled, it could contaminate a fair amount of recycled material. In the past few years there have been reports of recycled metal products (most recently pet food bowls, if I recall correctly) that contain unsafe levels of radioactive isotopes (including cobalt-60), presumably from improper recycling of contaminated metal. That seems more likely than the dirty bomb fears described in the above-linked article.
via JREF Forum http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=269741&goto=newpost
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