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 Nuclear Material Stolen in Mexico 
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Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2013 1:07 pm
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Location: St. Charles, IL
news.yahoo.com wrote:
Vienna (Austria) (AFP) - Thieves in Mexico have stolen a truck carrying "extremely dangerous" radioactive material used in medical treatment, the UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday.

The vehicle was transporting a "teletherapy source" containing cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage centre when it was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City on Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

"At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," an IAEA statement said.

Cobalt-60 "has figured in several serious source accidents including fatalities because the material was obtained and handled by people who were not aware of its danger," said Mark Hibbs, analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"There are many thousands of these sources worldwide. There is in most countries a regime to keep them safe and secure, but if they are stolen or lost, many people would be unaware that the radioactive contents locked up inside could threaten their lives," Hibbs told AFP.

More worryingly though, such material could in theory be put in a so-called "dirty bomb" -- an explosive device spreading the radioactive material over a wide area.



FULL ARTICLE HERE
http://news.yahoo.com/truck-radioactive-material-39-stolen-mexico-39-095030050.html

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Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:14 pm
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:shock: Thank you very much for this link!

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Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:00 pm
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