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Feedback: Farmer finds stolen radioactive material
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Dear colleagues,
This subject is very interesting to elaborate a scenario on radiological event, considering many topics to discuss, for instance
farmer's attitude;
"He knew they had to be in somebody else's hands. When you see the radioactive symbol, you certainly don't like to play around," said Mitch Kachur, who is related to the man.
Topics written:
The orange cases containing highly radioactive moisture density probes.
The recovery comes shortly after university officials noticed another, far less dangerous radioactive device, was accidentally sold as scrap, winding up in the Saskatoon dump.
Officials are particularly worried about a so-called dirty bomb packed with conventional explosives such as dynamite to scatter radioactive material like that in the density probes.
"That's why we're glad we found them," Frattinger said.
The initial blast from a dirty bomb can kill or maim bystanders, while the radioactive fallout may claim more victims.
In addition, the resulting contamination would place the area off-limits to people for lengthy periods, causing panic and wreaking economic havoc.
"It would just contaminate everything," Frattinger said. (Frattinger is Debbie Frattinger, the university's radiation safety officer.)
Press information,
...............................................
I think this is a good example for a scenario, so I decided to feedback the information and I hope national organizations could include such subject to a future seminar, congress, training course, etc on Public Communication and Realistic Scenarios about the danger of these sources
Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
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THE STAR PHOENIX, Monday, May 17, 2004
Farmer finds stolen radioactive material
Contents could have made 'dirty bomb'
The Canadian Press and The StarPhoenix
Thursday, May 13, 2004
http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/news/story.html?id=48f18e03-c20b-44ed-83a5-0e08c2d82ccd
A Saskatoon-area farmer stumbled across two suitcases of stolen radioactive material on the weekend, relieving fears the potentially deadly contents might fall into the wrong hands.
The orange cases containing highly radioactive moisture density probes had been missing since June 1999 when the pickup truck they were in was pilfered from the University of Saskatchewan.
The farmer turned the items over to Saskatoon RCMP on Sunday after finding them on a remote stretch of his property about 50 kilometres north of the city, said Debbie Frattinger, the university's radiation safety officer.
"We're just ecstatic," Frattinger said Wednesday. "We're just smiling because it was a health concern, an environment concern, and we got them back. So that's just great, and now we will dispose of them properly."
The recovery comes shortly after university officials noticed another, far less dangerous radioactive device, was accidentally sold as scrap, winding up in the Saskatoon dump.
The university has alerted the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission about both incidents. Frattinger called the commission Wednesday regarding the newly located cases.
"They were glad, very glad because you don't want that stuff lying around."
Meanwhile, the man who found the suitcases is surprised at all the attention his find has generated.
The Hepburn-area farmer, who wishes to remain anonymous, brought the two suitcases into the city to a relative's home.
"He knew they had to be in somebody else's hands. When you see the radioactive symbol, you certainly don't like to play around," said Mitch Kachur, who is related to the man.
On Sunday, Kachur was called to come over to the home to figure out what to do with the suitcases.
"I went over and said, 'This isn't something you should be playing with.' Once I saw the label on them, it dawned on me I had heard something about this a couple of years ago," said Kachur.
"I advised them that if they had been sitting outside, the cases could be cracked so it was just leave it alone."
Kachur says they contacted Saskatoon police and the fire department. Representatives from Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services and the University of Saskatchewan soon arrived to pick up the suitcases.
"It was pretty low-key. They phoned back and said, 'We know what you've got,' and that it really wasn't anything to worry about. But we still stayed away and let the professionals handle them."
Concern has grown in federal circles about the possibility of an attack involving radiological materials in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults on the United States.
Officials are particularly worried about a so-called dirty bomb packed with conventional explosives such as dynamite to scatter radioactive material like that in the density probes.
"That's why we're glad we found them," Frattinger said.
The initial blast from a dirty bomb can kill or maim bystanders, while the radioactive fallout may claim more victims.
In addition, the resulting contamination would place the area off-limits to people for lengthy periods, causing panic and wreaking economic havoc.
"It would just contaminate everything," Frattinger said.
The orange cases had been locked inside a green wooden box in the Ford truck, which was stolen along with other items from a secured compound at the university.
A man belonging to an organized theft ring was convicted four years ago for his part in the break-in. But the whereabouts of the cases were a mystery until Sunday.
The probes, which are intact but have severe water damage, will be disposed of at a radioactive waste facility in Chalk River, Ont.
In the other incident, a radioactive device was accidentally discarded by university officials in 2002 in what the nuclear safety commission recently called a "major breakdown" in procedures.
An electron capture detector, used in chemical analysis, was noticed missing during a routine inspection.
University officials determined the detector had been sold to a man who wanted to salvage any valuable metal. Finding none, he tossed the detector, including the sealed radioactive device, into the dump.
Frattinger says the detector, about the size of a thumbnail, will stay in the city's landfill.
It's been there two years already and would be impossible to locate. Besides, she says, because it contains a source of low-risk source of radiation, it poses no health hazard.
Rick McCabe of the safety commission said Wednesday that officials took the incident seriously.
"What if it had been a stronger source?" he said.
Steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence, including better education, better signage and more frequent inspections, Frattinger said.