Posted on 09/30/2003 8:46:14 PM PDT by InShanghai
Chinese Scientist Sentenced Over Iridium
BEIJING - A Chinese nuclear scientist has been given a suspended death sentence for planting radioactive materials in the office of a business rival, sickening the man and 74 other people, official newspapers reported Monday.
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Nuclear medicine researcher Gu Jiming stashed a case containing pellets of iridium 192 above ceiling panels at a hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou, the Beijing Evening News reported.
Soon after the victim — identified only by his surname, Liu — began complaining of fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches and vomiting, the paper said.
A medical checkup two months later revealed serious irregularities in his white blood cell count. At that point his office was searched with detection equipment and the radioactive materials discovered.
Others at the hospital also complained of fatigue, memory loss, bleeding gums and other symptoms, the report said. A nurse who was five months pregnant nearly suffered a miscarriage because of the radiation exposure, it said.
Gu's research institute and Liu's hospital had cooperated in forming a laser treatment center in 1997, but the two men had feuded over management, bonuses, economic benefits and other matters.
"Gu held hatred for Liu in his heart, and lay in wait for a chance at revenge," the Beijing Evening News report said.
Suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life in prison after two years of good behavior. Gu's assistant, Fang Zhenhua, who had only a primary school education, was also sentenced to 15 years for helping Gu transport and place the iridium.
Gu obtained the substance by falsifying documents to buy an industrial machine that uses iridium 192 to check welded joints, the paper said.
Scientists say iridium could be used to create a radiological "dirty bomb," and its possession is usually tightly controlled.
I remember reading an article about a trade show in China for gems and precious stones. One visitor brought a polished tiger's eye stone that was very pleasing to look at. Some of the other participants were curious as to what made it so appealing and when they put it under a geiger counter, they found the thing had been exposed to a radioactive source to give it it's luster. I don't know if it's true, but I wouldn't doubt it.
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