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Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/03/national/main517436.shtml
Is Missing Material Radioactive?
DETROIT, August 3, 2002
(AP) Federal agents are searching for a shipment of possibly radioactive
material unaccounted for since it crossed the U.S.-Canadian border at either
Port Huron or Detroit in May.
Government inspectors first became aware of the missing shipment about a
week after it crossed the border, in early June, officials said Friday.
Sensors to detect material at the border showed positive readings when
checked days after the truck apparently passed, the Detroit Free Press
reported Saturday.
White House officials said they were taking the missing shipment seriously,
but pointed out the material could have been for a legitimate purpose, such
as construction or medical supplies. They also said sensors could have shown
a false positive reading.
"There is no intelligence information that indicates this is related to
terrorism," said White House Office for Homeland Security spokesman Gordon
Johndroe. "We have no credible intelligence that indicates al Qaeda or any
other terrorist organization has smuggled radioactive material into the
country."
Department of Energy nuclear emergency support teams have been searching
Michigan and the northern Midwest, officials said.
© MMII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/radio3_20020803.htm
Radioactive material missing in Midwest
Agents seek shipment that entered Michigan
August 3, 2002
BY TAMARA AUDI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Federal agents and teams of nuclear specialists are searching the Midwest
for a mysterious shipment of radioactive material that was trucked across
the Canadian border into Michigan in May, government officials said Friday.
Government inspectors did not become aware of the material until early June,
about a week after it crossed the border. Newly installed sensors were not
fully operational at the time, officials say. It was only after sensor
recordings were examined days later that the radioactive material was noted.
White House officials were quick to point out Friday that the material could
be legitimate medical or construction supplies, or the sensor could have
given a false positive reading. But the White House Office of Homeland
Security said it is taking the report seriously. Radioactive material can be
used to make a so-called dirty bomb, an explosive that would release
radioactive material nearby.
"There is no intelligence information that indicates this is related to
terrorism," Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the Office of Homeland Security,
said Friday. "We have no credible intelligence that indicates Al Qaeda or
any other terrorist organization has smuggled radioactive material into this
country."
The U.S. Department of Energy has sent members of its nuclear emergency
eupport teams to search for the material across Michigan and the northern
Midwest, government officials said. The teams use portable devices to test
areas for radioactivity. Since Sept. 11, the teams have been sent about 70
times in response to reports of nuclear or radioactive threats, a government
official said.
"All 70 have turned out negative," the official said. "We want to cover all
our bases. It could be nothing. But we want to eliminate the possibility
that it's something sinister."
Investigators with the FBI and U.S. Customs have been tracking the vehicle
that transported the shipment through customs records, federal officials
said.
Government officials would not say if the truck came through Detroit or Port
Huron. Officials characterized the point of entry as a major crossing in the
Detroit area.
This spring, to bolster security on the northern border, new sensors were
installed at border crossings, U.S. Customs officials said.
Until then, customs inspectors used handheld devices to test for radioactive
materials. The new sensors are more powerful and more accurate, the
officials said. And truck drivers don't always know they're passing through
them, so testing can be conducted randomly.
It is not illegal to bring radioactive material into the United States, but
it must be registered and declared, the officials said.
A federal official said the new border sensors now have alarms, so that
customs inspectors are notified immediately of radioactive materials.
Contact TAMARA AUDI at 313-222-6582 or audi@freepress.com.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin.asp
Woman Finds Missing Iridium in Dump
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Last updated at 8:04:37 PM PT
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TECATE, Mexico -- A missing pellet of radioactive Iridium that had sparked a
massive search by authorities near the U.S. border was found here Tuesday by
a trash picker at a dump.
Soldiers and firefighters cordoned off the trash dump after the foot-long
container holding the pellet was located. The container appears to be
undamaged, but the area was secured as a precaution, said Baja California
state civil defense director Gabriel Gomez.
The pellet was used to look for cracks in a Baja California pipeline
project. It was lost from the back of a truck July 23 near Tecate. U.S.
border officials were placed on alert as a precaution.
Gomez said a woman who, together with her husband, makes a living combing
through trash for recyclable materials, found the container early Tuesday.
The couple then notified authorities. It wasn't immediately known how the
material arrived at the dump.
The foot-long container encloses an inch-long pellet of iridium 192, which
emits potentially hazardous gamma rays and is commonly used to check welded
joints.
Although not harmful if used properly, iridium and other commonplace
radioactive materials have sparked concern that, in the wrong hands, they
could be used to create a radiological "dirty bomb" that would create
widespread panic.
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