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Radioactive material stolen in Java

Source
Straits Times - October 25, 2000

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Dangerous radioactive materials have been stolen from a factory warehouse in Java, the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Control Board (Bapeten) said yesterday.

It said 21 units of radioactive sources containing Cobalt 60 and Americium and their containers were found missing last Friday from Krakatau Steel's radioactive warehouse in Cilegon, West Java, some 100 km from the capital.

But the board was notified about the disappearance only on Monday. "The materials emit radiation that is very dangerous to people's lives," the board said in a press statement. The materials have a radioactive level of some 2,000 times the acceptable level of exposure for people, it said.

Public warnings were immediately issued, urging people not to handle the radioactive materials and to inform the authority if they knew its whereabouts. Police are currently investigating the disappearance and whether the state-owned Krakatau Steel had violated regulations on securing harmful products.

The radioactive materials are used in the quality control process, as they are able to withstand the high temperatures needed for smelting. The radioactive units are 31 cm long and shaped like radio antennae. Each has a diametre of 0.6 mm. The units are kept in gray lead tubes, each about 60 cm long, with a 20 cm diametre.

The board said the container in which the radioactive units were stored was clearly marked with the radioactive symbol and written warnings of danger. Police spokesman Brigadier-General Saleh Saaf said the thieves might have intended to steal the lead container and had no idea that it contained such dangerous material.

Bapeten Chairman Mohammad Ridwan said he suspected the thiefs had probably left the Cilegon area by now. "We urged everyone, recyclers – dealers, buyers or processors – to be cautious with the radioactive materials and report to the authority if they know of their whereabouts," he said.

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