This article is sensational journalism at it's best. I am a licensed radiographer - certified to work with both Cobalt-60 and and X-Ray radiation. The type of emitter used in this article consisted of a quantity of cobalt-60 that is completely sealed in a capsule made of stainless steel or some other such material. The radioactive material stays in, the alpha particles are blocked by the enclosing container, and all that is emitted is the gamma radiation. Gamma radiation does not cause other objects to become radioactive - it is a waveform emission, much like light or sound - but at a much higher frequency.
It appears to me that the situation that this article describes is a serious one, but one that is very possible to contain. There is essentially no time limit for finding the solution - as long as humans are kept at a safe distance. When considering that gamma radiation (like light) decreases with the square of distance, this probably works out to be a few hundred feet... Nothing is becoming radioactive, or is "eating through" anything in this case.
And regarding the Faraday Cage - I don't know if this is a possible solution, but my guess is that shielding is the solution to this problem - as in, what would you make the Cage out of that would not be permeated by the gamma rays? With the strength involved, such things as thick lead or (even thicker) concrete would be a couple of standard shielding materials.
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This article is sensational journalism at it's best. I am a licensed radiographer - certified to work with both Cobalt-60 and and X-Ray radiation. The type of emitter used in this article consisted of a quantity of cobalt-60 that is completely sealed in a capsule made of stainless steel or some other such material. The radioactive material stays in, the alpha particles are blocked by the enclosing container, and all that is emitted is the gamma radiation. Gamma radiation does not cause other objects to become radioactive - it is a waveform emission, much like light or sound - but at a much higher frequency. It appears to me that the situation that this article describes is a serious one, but one that is very possible to contain. There is essentially no time limit for finding the solution - as long as humans are kept at a safe distance. When considering that gamma radiation (like light) decreases with the square of distance, this probably works out to be a few hundred feet... Nothing is becoming radioactive, or is "eating through" anything in this case. And regarding the Faraday Cage - I don't know if this is a possible solution, but my guess is that shielding is the solution to this problem - as in, what would you make the Cage out of that would not be permeated by the gamma rays? With the strength involved, such things as thick lead or (even thicker) concrete would be a couple of standard shielding materials.