A vehicle belonging to a company transporting packages of radioactive material was stolen on the 30th of June in São Paulo, Brazil, prompting an alert from the National Commission for Nuclear Energy (CNEN).
The Civil Police are investigating the incident, which was initially reported as a vehicle theft at the 49th Police District (DP) in São Mateus, in the eastern part of the city. CNEN, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations based in Brasília, released a statement on its official website on Thursday (4) to warn the public about the potential health risks associated with handling the stolen materials.
“The radioactive material stolen along with the vehicle is contained in lead packages that shield it and prevent any radiation from escaping into the environment. However, improper handling could lead to health risks,” the statement reads.
According to CNEN, five packages were stolen, as also noted in the police report. The stolen radioactive material included a generator of 68Ge/68Ga and four units of shielding for depleted 99Mo/99mTc generators.
CNEN explained that “According to the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Radiation Sources of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), this source, due to its low activity, falls into category 4, representing a very low radiological risk to the population and the environment.”
Germanium, which was among the stolen items, is extremely radioactive, but unlike in 1987(in Goiania) when powedered cesium, another radioactive material, managed to spread widely due to lack of information and response from authorities, this time around the material is in a solid state, and has a much shorter half life, taking about 272 days in total to be completely harmless(versus 30 years for the other case).
Material found
(Device that contained the Ge-68)
(Column of Ge-68 once found)
CNEN announced today(8) the recovery of the stolen Ge-68 column, with an activity of 30 mCi. The radioactive material was found intact at a scrapyard, which had reportedly sold the lead pieces to a battery shop in Itaquera.
With the recovery of the radioactive material, they announced the conclusion of their involvement in this incident, within their jurisdiction. It is crucial to note that there was no breach, dispersion, or contamination of the material, which was recovered in its entirety.
The leadership of CNEN has expressed gratitude to the responsible and dedicated press, which disseminated accurate information without causing undue alarm. This enabled the public to provide tips that significantly aided in the prompt response to the emergency and the recovery of the material.
CNEN will soon release a bulletin with a complete description of the incident and the actions taken, including technical details of public interest.
Source: Brazilian Government Portal
