contaminated Chinese wrist watches

["J. J. Rozental" <joseroze@netvision.net.il>]

Warning over radioactive wrist watches

Mumbai |By A Correspondent | 10-12-00
The Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has sent out warnings of
contaminated Chinese wrist watches made in Hong Kong.

Dr K.S. Parthasarathy, Secretary, AERB, said, "The AERB has received from
the Emergency Response Centre of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) a warning message about cobalt-60 contaminated wrist watches
discovered in France."

The Office of Protection against Ionizing Radiation (OPRI), France, found
that about half of the 3,000 watches issued with the series number T65007-3
contained cobalt-60. OPRI has called for an immediate stop to the sale of
these watches and urged purchasers to return the watches bought recently
from a French supermarket chain of shops.

The watches under the brand name TROPHY recently sold by the French
supermarket were found to be contaminated in the link pins of their metal
bracelets. The radioactivity was found to be due to cobalt-60.

As per the currently available information, the watches were purchased from
Silktime, RM 1601, Cheung Fung Industrial Building, 23-29 Pak Tin Par
Street, Tsuen Wan, N T Hong Kong and were assembled by More Good Electronics
Fty, Blk 2, Non-Staple Food, Ind Bldg, 35 Shen Yan Road, Sha Tuk Kok,
Shenzhen, the People's Republic of China.

Dr Parthasarathy told Gulf News that he had written to Silktime to find out
if any Indian trader had purchased these watches. Though there is no
immediate danger, the Trophy brand of watches in this series will have to be
tested for the presence of radioactivity.

Those who have purchased this brand of watches from anywhere, either in Hong
Kong or from any chain of shops, have been requested by the AERB to contact
Head, Radiological Protection and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre, Mumbai.

Buyers in other cities could contact authorities at the Kalpakkam Atomic
Power Project, near Chennai, and the Variable Energy Cyclotron laboratory in
Calcutta. The only such instance took place sometime in 1963 in the United
States when radioactive rings were discovered. In fact, two and a half kilos
of gold was stolen and the metal was actually made with radon gas for the
treatment of cancer patients.
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Office of Protection against Ionizing Radiation (OPRI), France

http://www.opri.fr/

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Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel

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