[ RadSafe ] Fwd: [srp] Mystery box: The curious case of cargocontainer 307703

[Cowie, Michael I]

I would imagine they were trying to send it back or elsewhere rather than "do" anything about it, Italy does seem to have "checks" done at least. Recall many years ago (must be at least 15years) a consignment of old oilfield tubulars on their way to be used as props in Venice, was found to have enhanced levels of gamma radiation (NORM). They were returned to sender, at some considerable cost.


Mike

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 7, 2011, at 9:53 PM, "Brennan, Mike  (DOH)" <Mike.Brennan at DOH.WA.GOV> wrote:

> An interesting story.  Personally, I think it took them far too long to
> resolve the issue.  I realize they needed to be concerned about the
> possibility of a bomb inside the container, but taking most of a year to
> come up with a plan didn't decrease that risk.  Once the isotope was
> determined to be Co60 the solution (breach the container and remove the
> contents until you find the source) should have been pretty obvious.
> (Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if the technical people advocated
> that from the beginning, but the "leadership" couldn't be persuaded to
> OK anything until delaying any longer was more politically risky than
> acting was technically risky).
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Roger Helbig
> Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 4:15 AM
> To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: [srp] Mystery box: The curious case of
> cargocontainer 307703
>
> From: Fred <fwp_dawson at hotmail.com>
> Date: Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 4:05 AM
> Subject: [srp] Mystery box: The curious case of cargo container 307703
> To: srp-uk at yahoogroups.com
>
> from Wired magazine
>
> "Enzo Montagna pulled his Fiat into Voltri Terminal Europa, a
> sprawling port on the western edge of Genoa, flashed his ID at the
> guard and parked in a small lot near the low-slung customs office.
>
> In Italy, all cargo containers carrying scrap metal get checked by
> hand for radiation, before they're allowed off the docks. At Voltri,
> this job falls to Montagna, a 49-year-old independent consultant
> certified by the Italian government. By the time he arrived,
> longshoremen had gathered eleven six-metre-long, 2.5-metre-wide
> containers, relying on manifests to determine which ones needed to be
> scanned. The boxes were lined up near the terminal's entrance.
>
> Montagna grabbed his radiation monitor -- a Ludlum Model 3 about the
> size of a toaster. He plugged in a sensor wand and set the device down
> 18 metres away from the containers. The Model 3 emits a beep every
> time it detects a radioactive particle; Montagna turned it on, and the
> meter's needle swung past the maximum reading of 500,000 counts per
> minute. Instead of its usual staccato chirps, the machine was whining
> continuously and frantically. That didn't worry Montagna; the port's
> humid air sometimes corroded the connections. He turned the detector
> off, replaced the cable between the wand and the box with a spare, and
> turned the device back on. It started wailing again. Montagna was
> being bathed in radiation.
>
> One of the containers in front of him held a lethal secret, but was
> that secret merely a slow-motion radioactive industrial accident, or a
> bomb -- one that could destroy the 24 kilometre waterfront? Montagna
> ran to his car to get a less sensitive detector. He didn't think about
> protection; at those levels, he would have needed lead armour 12cm
> thick to stand within a metre of the source for long."
>
> continues at
> http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/12/features/mystery-box?pag
> e=1
>
> http://tinyurl.com/7ybbcbr
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