Drug researcher held for spreading 'radioactive' chemicals

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

Drug researcher held for spreading 'radioactive' chemicals

OSAKA, Dec. 20 (Kyodo) - A pharmaceutical researcher was arrested 
Wednesday after claiming to have spread radioactive chemicals at a 
railway station in Osaka, western Japan, police said. 

Police and firefighters rushed to the JR Takatsuki station. Police 
held the 40-year-old man on suspicion of violating the Laws 
Concerning the Prevention of Radiation Hazards due to Radioisotopes 
and Others and forcibly obstructing business. 

No injuries were reported. 

Officials from the Central Pharmaceutical Research Institute, a 
facility of Japan Tobacco (JT) Inc. where the man works, said no 
radioactivity was detected at the scene. 

Police and witnesses quoted the man, clad in a white lab coat, as 
saying he had spread the chemicals from two containers. They noted 
that he spoke incoherently. 

Investigations showed that the man took three containers of iodine 
125 and other chemicals from the institute. Iodine 125 is a 
radioisotope used in thyroid research and deemed easy to handle 
because of its long half life. 

''It would not be strange for such substances as iodine 125 to be 
used in the facility,'' a JT public relations department official 
said. He added that examinations on the institute's administrative 
setup are currently underway. 

The Institute is located about 500 meters northwest of the station. 
It conducts pharmaceutical research and development and has 200 
researchers and employees. 

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Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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