58 kg of monazite found in Gifu, Ibaraki

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

58 kg of monazite found in Gifu, Ibaraki

TOKYO, June 21 (Kyodo) - Police said Tuesday they found a total of 58 
kilograms of monazite, a radioactive material, in Gifu and Ibaraki 
prefectures in investigations into 20 tons of missing monazite. 

Police had earlier discovered two boxes containing 40 kg of monazite 
in a man's home in Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture, in the course of 
investigations into the mailing of the substance to 10 government 
offices earlier this month. 

On Tuesday night, officers from Tokyo Metropolitan Police 
Department's public security bureau found 40 kg inside Takasago 
Kogyo, a ceramics factory, in Toki, Gifu Prefecture. 

Police said a radioactive reading of 43 microsievert per hour was 
detected nearby the monazite, which was stashed inside jute bags. The 
government's limit on maximum permissible radiation exposure is 1,000 
microsievert per year. 

Police quoted Takasago Kyogyo officials as saying they got 50 kg of 
monazite in lieu of debt payment from a Nagoya company that went 
bankrupt in November last year. 

Takasago said it had used 10 kg as a catalyst in the test-production 
of a ceramic-made gas purification device. Police said a slight 
radioactive reaction was detected from the device. 

On Tuesday morning, police officers in Ibaraki Prefecture also found 
18 kg of monazite at the house of a 61-year-old man in Tsuchiura, 
Ibaraki Prefecture. 

The material, wrapped with double vinyl sheets, was found inside a 
hibachi placed outside the man's home, police said. 

Ibaraki police found the substance based on a tip from a 50-year-old 
man in Saitama Prefecture, who told Saitama police that he had been 
sold monazite. 

The radioactive material found so far is believed to be part of the 
missing 20 tons of monazite once kept by Hiroshi Ikeda, the head of a 
foundation called Bosei Bunka Kyokai, or motherhood culture 
association. 

Ikeda has already been questioned on suspicion of violation of a law 
regulating nuclear reactors and nuclear-related facilities. 

Monazite contains very small amounts of uranium and thorium, nuclear 
fuel materials. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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