Radioactive material stolen in Mexico. Authorities: If you find our nukes, 'don't open it'

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/24/mah-nuclear-bukkit-has-you-see.html

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GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER, MEXICO!

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Funny, this isn’t the sort of failure mode that was spoken of when we bought the damn nukes in the first place…

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Nope not me and about that Delorean I just like doing up old cars.

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Radiation is good for you.

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Oh God, I hope we don’t have another Goiânia Incident.

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Radioactive Source =/= Nuke.

But the Goiânia post above is right on point.

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Hmmm I found this:

SmartFTLab Smart GEIGER FTLAB FSG-001 Portable Radiactive Detector Color Random

https://www.ebay.com.au/p/?iid=252639832977&&&chn=ps

I wonder how many are actually on the market and available to buy? Maybe ten thousand? You could distribute them to Mexican police.

(and they come in four colors).

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After reading that, all I can say is fuuuuck.

Well, also that I’m glad to be in TJ right now, as far away from that as possible within the confines of Mexico.

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Shut up, it’s important to be scared! I bet the entire hemisphere is going to explode if we don’t panic enough!

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You know what would keep us safe? A wall.

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Am I the only one who thinks these things look too much like Ghostbuster traps?

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You shouldn’t open those either.

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I want to make a MUFf joke, but I can’t think of one

In this case, there’s also this one (with the same type of source):
http://www-pub.iaea.org/books/iaeabooks/6090/The-Radiological-Accident-in-Yanango

In February 1999 a serious radiological accident occurred in Yanango, Peru, when a welder picked up an 192Ir industrial radiography source and put it in his pocket for several hours. This action resulted in his receiving a high radiation dose that necessitated the amputation of one leg. His wife and children were also exposed, but to a much less extent. The purpose of this report is to provide an account of the circumstances of the accident and its medical aspects.

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Made of lead?. You will need some profound foundations, if you are going for a lead wall high enough to stop pole-vaulters.

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When I lived in Los Alamos in the 80s, I heard about a lost trucker who was carrying rebar from Mexico. He drove into a lab site and asked for directions from a security guard. When he pulled out of the checkpoint, the radiation detectors went off. The rebar had contained scrap metal made from a stolen cobalt core of an x-ray machine.

What’s chilling is what if the trucker hadn’t lost his way? Where would the rebar have gone?

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Random radioactive anecdote:

Back when I worked at ANSTO’s reactor, we had a flea infestation in the animal labs. This was a big problem; flea-ridden rats can seriously mess with your data.

So, we called in the exterminators. Normally, when the pest control guys show up, they put on a bit of swagger about how they’re the experts at handling dangerous chemicals and everyone else should stand well back.

In this case, however…it took us half a day just to convince them to enter the building. People go weird as soon as they see a radiation hazard warning sign.

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