Radioactive material theft alert in Tlaxcala across seven Mexican states, Digi Mart USA News (Tlaxcala, Mexico): Nine boxes of medical radioactive material were reported as stolen after the vehicle transporting them overturned on the Huamantla-Tlaxcala highway in the early hours of Saturday, November 7. The Mexican National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) issued a preventive alert to seven states.
According to the National Commission for Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS), the shipment was being moved from the National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) in La Marquesa, State of Mexico, to Xalapa, Veracruz. Following the overturn, the containers were reported missing, and search efforts are underway.
The alert covers Tlaxcala, Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla and Veracruz. The CNSNS said the cargo includes three boxes of technetium generators with activities of 200, 650 and 1,000 millicuries; four boxes of iodine-131 at 400 millicuries each; one box of thallium at 12 millicuries; and one box of samarium at 100 millicuries.
These substances are used in nuclear medicine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency classifies the material as Category 4, which corresponds to a relatively low risk. However, the CNSNS warned that direct, unprotected exposure may pose a health hazard.
The agency also said the current condition of the packaging is unknown, so it cannot rule out that some containers are damaged.
Officials describe the alert as preventive, and no contamination has been reported so far. Civil Protection asked people not to touch, open, move or transport any boxes or containers that may belong to the shipment, and not to attempt recovery on their own.
If someone finds a suspicious object, they should move away, keep others from approaching and report the find to 911. Hidalgo’s civil protection office recommended keeping a minimum distance of five metres.
As of the report, the boxes have not been recovered, and no details about those responsible for the removal have been disclosed.
