Thailand is looking for a missing cylinder containing radioactive material. It is a steel cylinder of 30 centimeters with a diameter of 13 centimeters. Authorities warn of health risks from direct exposure to radioactive caesium-137.
The cylinder was part of a steam pressure gauge at a coal-fired power station and was nowhere to be seen during a routine check last Friday. The owner of the exchange believes it fell off a wall mounting sometime in the days before. Research into radiation shows that the cylinder has been removed from the site.
The entire weekend has also been searched, but the 25 kilo heavy cylinder was not found in that search. said Kittiphan Chitpentham, of the national power company that owns the plant.
Health hazards when opening
The governor of Prachinburi province, where the coal-fired power station is located, is asking people in the area to join the search. It is emphasized that the radioactive material is contained in a closed and protective envelope. There is a warning about the health hazards when opening it. The amount of caesium-137 involved has not been disclosed.
The incident is reminiscent of a large-scale search earlier this year in Australia for a lost miniscule radioactive capsule. It had fallen from a secured truck, after which a search followed along a stretch of road of 1400 kilometers. The radioactive material, in Australia it was also cesium-137, was found after a search of more than a week.
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