Chinese 'find' radioactive ball - BBC

[Eugene]

Source: BBC News

Page last updated at 10:51 GMT,
Friday, 27 March 2009

Chinese 'find' radioactive ball

Chinese officials say that potentially deadly
radioactive material lost in north-western Shaanxi
province may have been found at a steel mill.

Officials told the BBC that they had detected what
may be the missing Caesium-137, adding that it
may have been melted down.

The Caesium-137, encased in lead, was lost this
week when workers at a cement plant demolished
an old factory.

The material was part of a measuring instrument
and is extremely toxic.

-snip-

Eight trucks worth of scrap gathered at the disused
factory in Tongchuan city were sold to a local
steel mill, according to official news agency Xinhua.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7967285.stm

[Buzz Clik]

1. Interesting quote from the article.

Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope, formed mainly through nuclear fission. The smallest amount can cause infertility, cancer and even death.

Right, but you actually have to ingest the Cs for it to be toxic at that level. So, unless people start developing an appetite for solid steel, the danger is from the radioactivity.

[madokie]

2. I wonder what toys for our children will be made from that steel?

[hunter]

3. Stuff like this has gotten into recycled steel before.

One of the most infamous cases was radioactive rebar and patio tables from Mexico that were not discovered until a truck made a wrong turn at a Lawrence-Livermore facility and set off the detectors.

The EPA and scrap metal dealers are very much aware of the problem now.

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/source-reduction-management/scrapmetal.html

I often wonder how bad the problem is wherever organized crime, corruption, or just plain expedience and ignorance allows radioactive metals from nuclear programs into the scrap metal stream.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball. nt