In Thailand, a container with highly radioactive contents has disappeared without a trace. The steel cylinder containing the dangerous cesium-137 came from a steam power station in Prachin Buri province in the east of the country. He has probably been missing since late February, but operators only alerted police last Friday, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported Thursday, citing authorities.
The radioisotope is used, among other things, in industrial measuring equipment. A reward of 50,000 Thai baht (about $1,400) has been offered for information on the whereabouts of the container weighing about 25 kilograms, said the head of the province’s public health services, Surin Suebsueng. “If you find anything that looks like the caesium-137 cylinder, inform the authorities. Stay away and don’t try to open it,” Suebsueng stressed.
First theft, now presumed loss
A special team has been set up to monitor possible cases of illness from the radioactive substance. However, no such case has been discovered so far. While authorities initially pursued a possible theft, it is now said that the cylinder may have been lost in transit to another location. Among other things, the container was searched for at scrap dealers in the area.
In late January, a radioactive capsule fell from a truck in Western Australia while being transported from a mine to a depot. Experts and emergency services searched feverishly for days for the capsule, which also contained caesium-137. Finally, the small capsule was found on the side of the road in the outback. No one was injured.
Source: Krone
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