Thailand is searching for a missing cylinder containing radioactive material. It is a steel cylinder 30 cm long and 13 cm in diameter. Authorities warn of health risks from direct exposure to radioactive cesium-137.
The cylinder was part of a steam pressure gauge at a coal-fired power plant and was nowhere to be seen during a routine check last Friday. The stock exchange’s owner believes it fell off the wall sometime in the preceding days. Research in radiology shows that the cylinder was removed from the site.
The whole weekend was searched, but the 25-kilogram heavy roller was not found in this search. said Kittiphan Chitpentham, of the National Energy Corporation which owns the plant.
Health risks when opening
The governor of Prachinburi district, where the coal-fired power plant is located, is asking people in the area to join the search. It is confirmed that the radioactive material is contained in a closed and protective envelope. There is a health hazard warning when opened. The amount of cesium-137 contained has not been disclosed.
The incident is reminiscent of a large-scale search earlier this year in Australia for a small missing radioactive capsule. She had fallen from a secured truck, after which a search followed along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of road. The radioactive substance was found in Australia, which is cesium 137, after a search that lasted more than a week.
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