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Medical Radioactive Material Truck Stolen In Mexico

Posted by samzenpus on from the 35-rads-per-gallon dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A medical radioactive material truck has been stolen just outside Mexico City. From the article: 'BBC world affairs correspondent Rajesh Mirchandani says Cobalt-60 could theoretically be used in a so-called "dirty bomb" - an explosive device that could spread radioactive material over a wide area - although there is no official suggestion this was the purpose of the theft. Mexican police are currently conducting a search for the truck and its contents and have issued a press release to alert the public to its potential dangers.'"

8 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. Already found by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Informative

    Kind of embarrassing for Slashdot to post this now, considering the truck has already been found. Apparently the container was opened, but it appears (at least most of) the Cobalt-60 is still intact.

    Considering the infrastructure and expense required to ship something like this (special shielded containers, etc), why don't they include a tracking device? Even a cheapo cell phone can be used as a tracking device, which is better than nothing.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Already found by WarJolt · · Score: 5, Funny

      We don't get embarrassed at Slashdot. We just post stuff and hope it gets moded up.

    2. Re:Already found by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Apparently the container was opened, but it appears (at least most of) the Cobalt-60 is still intact.

      Haha! Nothing beats a good radioactive half-life/decay joke!

    3. Re:Already found by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The reason why they don't include a tracking device with such shipments is because they are worried about the health effects of exposure to cell phone radiation.

    4. Re:Already found by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And a fine example of yellow journalism, at that. I read an earlier, more balanced new source that said the truck was a nice cargo truck, one with a crane, and it was stolen at a truck stop. Everybody thinks they wanted the truck and had no idea what it was carrying. The hysterics about terrorism in the summary are unfounded.

      And I won't admit any relation to my cunning plan to manufacture refrigerators that open a Cobalt 60 door when the light goes out to keep food from ever going bad!

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    5. Re:Already found by plover · · Score: 4, Funny

      Strontium Bad?

      --
      John
  2. Cobalt-60 is nasty stuff by volvox_voxel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I knew a post-doc that worked with the stuff at the University of Chicago. One thing they tested with it was to see how long a rat would live being exposed to it. They had some kind of lead door between the rat and the source..I don't remember the specific number, but it wasn't all that long-- probably renal failure due to their kidneys not being able to handle such a massive amount of cell death... The exposure rate constant of Cobalt-60 is 1,350mR-m^2 / hr-Ci, and has a half life of 5.27 years. I wonder if the guys that opened it up are experiencing radiation sickness?

  3. Goiânia Accident by Guillermito · · Score: 5, Informative

    Glad it was already found.

    To understand the risks that this type of events involve check what happened in Brazil several years ago when radioactive medical material went missing and ended up killing several people

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident