VIENNA, Austria - The UN nuclear agency says a truck carrying an extremely dangerous radioactive substance has been stolen in Mexico.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says the truck was carrying cobalt-60, used for radiotherapy treatment to combat cancer. An IAEA statement Wednesday said the truck was stolen Monday while taking the material to a radioactive waste storage centre from the northern city of Tijuana.
'At the time the truck was stolen, the [radioactive] source was properly shielded,' the IAEA said of the heist in Tepojaco, a town near Mexico City.
'However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged.'
The statement says that Mexican authorities are searching for the material.
Cobalt-60h has been a factor in several fatal accidents. It could also be used to construct a radioactive 'dirty bomb.'
Materials 'such as cobalt-60 could be used along with conventional explosives to make so-called dirty bombs,' IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a 2012 speech.
'A dirty bomb detonated in a major city could cause mass panic, as well as serious economic and environmental consequences.'
Files from National Post staff
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 - Rating: 4.5
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