An industrial chamber containing sealed radioactive material has been missing in the Houston area for several days after workers realized it was missing from its workplace, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
The radioactive material is surrounded by multiple layers of protection, and the radiation levels outside the chamber aren’t dangerous to the general public, according to the department, but anyone with it should handle it with caution.
The device, called an X-ray camera, was reported missing Thursday after workers were north of downtown Houston.
Until Sunday it had not been found.
“The radioactive material is sealed inside a capsule, which in turn is sealed inside the chamber with protective shielding and other safety features,” the department said in a statement Saturday.
The camera, which weighs 55 pounds, is owned by Statewide Maintenance Co.
Devices like the missing one are often used in the construction industry to produce x-ray images, as they can detect cracks or defects that cannot be seen with the naked eye, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Workers at Statewide Maintenance Co. were doing industrial x-rays on Thursday, which in this case they were used to inspect weldssaid Steve Steen, a company spokesman.
Workers realized the camera was missing, which Steen said cost between $15,000 and $20,000, after returning to their jobs from a fast food restaurant about nine miles north of downtown Houston, Lara Anton said. state health services spokesperson.
The company and the department are working with local law enforcement to find the camera.
The company also offers a reward of $3,000 for your return.
Authorities searched a 5-mile radius, using a radiation detector device that read radiation levels from the camera about 50 feet away, Anton said.
It was warned a pawnshops and junk shops in the area to be alerted should your lost device end up in one of their premises.
Anyone who finds the chamber, which has signs of radiation on the outside, should not attempt to open it, but rather call the emergency services or to the Department of Health Services for return and safe handling.
“If someone tried to take it apart and access the radioactive material, it would quickly become dangerous,” Anton said.
In January, a radioactive capsule smaller than a penny, used as a sensor in mines, went missing in Australia.
Authorities believed it had fallen off a truck in transit and expected it would take weeks or months to find.
The search was completed and found in six days.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.