The truck was carrying a camera designed to be lowered into holes to inspect foundations and other structures. The photographic equipment contained material described as 95 curies of Iridium 192, which is very radioactive.
Posted on 09/14/2006 2:46:13 PM PDT by txroadkill
Police were seeking help Thursday locating a stolen truck that was carrying radioactive material.
The white 2001 Ford F-350 was taken Wednesday morning from the Sunlight Food Mart at 1935 South Jupiter Road in Garland.
Garland police Lt. Scot Bunch said the truck has a cab-over camper and flames painted on the hood and front quarter panels. It has the name Bonded Inspections Inc. on the sides, and Texas license plate 5YL-T51. ------------------------------------------------------- Anyone with information about the theft or the suspect can call the Garland Police Department at 972-485-4840 or the investigating officer at 972-205-2060.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Yikes!
Sunlight Food Mart -- Radioactive materials being transported with groceries????
Keep An Eye Out Pingggggggggggggggg
The driver stopped there to get gas when his truck was stolen.
If an illegal is driving it, then they will never stop it.
The truck was carrying a camera designed to be lowered into holes to inspect foundations and other structures. The photographic equipment contained material described as 95 curies of Iridium 192, which is very radioactive.
I hope the idiots don't try to crank out the pill.
The driver of the truck pulled into the gas station and went inside to ask the attendant to turn on the pump, then saw someone driving away in his truck on southbound Jupiter Road. He was not able to describe the suspect.Why do I get the idea the driver left the keys in the ignition? Maybe even left it running?
I suspect the person who stole the truck was looking for transportation, not radioactive materials.
Most likely the perp saw a vehicle of opertunity. He'll get a nice surprise when he opens the lead box!
I'm right around the corner from where that truck was stolen. We have a bad car theft problem - primarily illegal aliens. We've had several stolen at the small company where I work.
I remember a story about a year ago about some woodsmen in the ex-Soviet Union, maybe Ukraine, who found some old radioactive power generators. It was cold outside and the objects inside the generators were giving off a nice warm heat. They slept with the radioactive cores stuffed inside their coats. You can imagine how that ended up.
95 Curies of anything is "very radioactive"!
Driven by "Big Daddy"? Doesn't sound like a very professional outfit, at least one hauling radioactive stuff around.
Of course the real question is "how radioactive" and "how much".
This is very probably a radiography source, usually in the neighborhood of 100 curies or so. The source is normally contained inside a 'camera' made of a thin stainless stell shell and filled with depleted uranium (DU)for shielding.
DU is even better than lead for shielding of gamma radiation, it is denser. There will be security locks to keepo it closed and sealed. Should someone remove the locks and crank out the source, they will find trhemselves exposed to levels of radiation that can be imminently health or life threatening.
There are many, many examples (Operational Experiences)of unintended exposures by a careless radiographer. None are good. Let's hope they do find this source.
Also, the source itself is very small, about the size of two peas side by side.
Doesn't look like an F-350.
Where's the flames?
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