Japan Police Probe Radioactive Ore

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Japan Police Probe Radioactive Ore

TOKYO (AP) - Japanese police searched two stockpiles of radioactive 
ore Tuesday, looking for the source of small amounts of the material 
mailed anonymously to several government offices. 

Envelopes containing particles of monazite, a source of the nuclear 
fuel thorium, were sent to the official residence of Japan's prime 
minister and nine other agencies last week. 

At least one of the envelopes included a message warning that 
radioactive materials were being sent from Japan to North Korea. 

Investigators found more than 10 tons of monazite in a vacant house 
in Kamiina in Nagano prefecture (state), 112 miles northwest of 
Tokyo, a Metropolitan Police official said on condition of anonymity. 


They discovered another ton in a warehouse just outside the capital, 
the official said. He refused to give further details, except to say 
that police were still investigating whether the stockpiles were 
illegal. 

It was too early to verify whether the monazite found in storage was 
being sent to North Korea, he said. Police said the stockpiled 
monazite emitted radioactivity levels too small to be harmful to 
humans or the environment. 

Government officials said the brown, sand-like substance was sent in 
amounts too small to harm humans. 

The letter sent to the prime minister's residence contained about 3 
grams of powder, or about 1 micro-sievert of radioactivity - a ``very 
small amount,'' according to the Science and Technology agency. 

The average person is exposed to about 1,000 micro-sieverts of 
radioactivity a year. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
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Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205
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