Stolen Nuclear Device Recovered In Philly

MSNBC ^ | 3:05 p.m. EDT March 22, 2007 | WCAU-TV Phila., PA

[No2much3]

High levels of radioactivity were detected Thursday after officials found the stolen nuclear gauge device that had been taken from a construction site on Monday, police said. A piece of the device was missing and the case was opened when officials found it near Germantown and Hunting Park avenues.

Authorities blocked off the area because they said there's a good chance the gauge was crushed at a nearby salvage yard. The Department of Homeland Security was on the scene to assist in the investigation.

The gauge, which contains small amounts of radioactive material, is used for measuring the density of soil at construction sites, according to the release. It is enclosed in a bright-yellow case with an exterior decal of three triangular shapes surrounding a small circle, the universal symbol for radioactive contents.

[No2much3]

I searched to see if this was posted already.

[flintsilver7]

Tomorrow, Joseph Farah will be inserting this into his G2 Bulletin as proof of the "American Hiroshima" plan he so desperately loves.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Some homeless person probably thought it was an igloo cooler.

[umgud]

It's a Troxler soil density guage used to test soil compaction. There ain't enough activity here to make a dirty firecracker.

[Oztrich Boy]

Tomorrow, Joseph Farah will be inserting this into his G2 Bulletin as proof of the "American Hiroshima" plan he so desperately loves.

He can even use the picture. It looks like a "suitcase nuclear bomb"

[nowandlater]

Where is the Drudgereport siren?

[unkus]

Right you are. I recognized it too.

[nowandlater]

lol

[Calpernia]

And I bet that is why they posted the pic.

That is what I assumed I was looking at until I read umgud's post.

[Calvin Locke]

I believe Philly still has a brownstone house that's listed as a nuclear hazard too. The then-occupant, an MD, was experimenting with radium.

[Oztrich Boy]

And I bet that is why they posted the pic.

To be fair to them, in reality Atomic Demolition Munitions ("suitcase nuclear bombs") look nothing like suitcases

[RunningWolf]

In my past, I have handled Iridium-192 (gamma ray) sources for use (on in the field aircraft engine insp work) We never lost it though.

Iridium-192 has enough intense penetrating radiation to give a person massive radiation burns or maybe even death if they got it out of the 50lb lead container.

But since Iridium-192 has a half life of only 120 days/approx> and there is only a about 20 tiny slivers of it (mot much bigger than a pencil lead) in each 'source' its not like they can scrounge up enough to make a 'dirty bomb' out of it.

same for the Cobalt-60 sources

[Rushmore Rocks]

Just for the records.

[bgolds99]

hahah, I immediately thought of the film, "Back to the Future" as soon as I saw the image. Reminds me of the stolen plutonium case in the beginning of the movie.

[Bean Counter]

[al baby]

Now that would stuns someones beeber

[flintsilver7]

If there was a bottle inside with an amber liquid in it, the dead homeless guy next to the case would've told you that was indeed the case.

[flintsilver7]

That's actually what gave me the thought. Sure, it's "nuclear" in the sense that it's related to radioactivity. It looks somewhat scary. I don't know if he ever uses pictures, but if he does all he has to do is Photoshop some skull and crossbones (and probably the sickle and hammer) into this one and he's got a bona fide suitcase bomb.

[operation clinton cleanup]

To be fair to them, in reality Atomic Demolition Munitions ("suitcase nuclear bombs") look nothing like suitcases

They look more like brief cases!

[Grizzled Bear]

It looks somewhat scary.

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Well; if someone were to shorten the barrel and add a pistol grip it would be an assault nuclear gauge device. What could be scarier than that???!!! :-0