[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Stolen camera holds lethal radiation inside - Update
I found this in the Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, today's paper..
Stolen camera holds lethal radiation inside
By VANESSA BAUZA Staff Writer PEMBROKE PINES --
A stolen, dime-sized dose of radiation that could kill if it becomes
exposed is sending police, FBI agents and health officials on a
hunt to prevent anyone from getting hurt. The rare gamma camera
containing the potentially lethal radiation was stolen during a 4
a.m. burglary heist on Wednesday when an employee of a local
industrial radiography company was taking a shower at his home.
While the cargo trailer containing the camera was parked in the
driveway, a thief cut two locks on the trailer, stealing only the
gamma camera and the key to open and operate it, police said.
The lead-lined camera contains a six 6-inch steel vial with the
highly radioactive substance, iridium. The iridium is not dangerous
if kept inside the camera. If the case is opened and the iridium
removed, someone standing a foot away would be exposed to more
radiation within an hour than they would normally receive in a
lifetime, said Jerry Eakins, environmental manager with the
Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control. Depending on
the exposure, symptoms could include severe burns, diarrhea,
vomiting and nausea. The longer the exposure and the closer the
iridium, the more severe the symptoms. The camera, one of only
about 100 in the state, produces a type of X-ray that shows stress
fractures in pipes and airplanes. It belongs to NDT and Inspections
Inc., a Pembroke Pines-based company licensed to operate the
camera. The employee, who had finished work for the day, and
three coworkers had stopped at his home in the 8400 block of NW
Northwest 15th Ct. Court, in the Sunswept community. While he
was showering, police said the thieves broke into the trailer parked
in the driveway and stole the camera, which is about the size of a
briefcase and weighs more than 30 pounds. A yellow radiation
symbol is posted on its side. Police on Wednesday were
investigating the possibility that someone may have followed the
trailer to the home to steal the camera. But they said the thieves
may not have known what they took. David Ortigoza, president of
NDT and Inspections Inc., agreed. "They probably don't know
what's in their hands," he said. While police were eager to recover
the $18,000 camera, their main concern was the health risk it
posed if opened. "If the iridium inside the device is exposed, it can
be fatal. Our concern is that the person who took it doesn't get
injured," Lt. Joe Yetto said. "If it's a kid, it could be dangerous."
NDT and Inspections Inc. is certified by the Department of Health
to use the gamma camera. The department requires proper
storage, training and regular inspections for the license. Statewide,
about 30 companies are licensed to use the gamma camera, and
each company has two to three devices, Eakins said. Officials in
the Department of Health said they had no memory of a gamma
camera theft in the past 10 years. But about a dozen similar
devices that test soil moisture density and use much lower levels
of radiation are stolen every year in the state and sold in Latin
America, said Eakins said. NDT and Inspections Inc. has offered a
$5,000 reward for information leading to the gamma camera. Police
urged anyone who has the camera not to open it. Anyone with
information on this case is asked to call 911, the Broward County
Health Department at 954-467-4823 or the Office of Radiation
Control at 407-297-2095.
Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205
"The object of opening the mind, as of opening
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
- G. K. Chesterton -
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html