MELTDOWN!
THE DEPUTY HOME MINISTER SAYS THE PUBLIC NEED NOT WORRY POLICE HAVE YET TO ESTABLISH IF THE DEVICE WAS STOLEN
SOCIAL media is in ‘meltdown’ as Netizens express concerns over the disappearance of a radioactive device which contains Iridium-192, during transit, on Aug 10. This has ignited a chain reaction as authorities scramble to reassure the public, and find the missing device.
DEPUTY Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said there is no need for the public to panic over the Radioactive Dispersal Device (RDD) that has been missing since Aug 10.
“Nothing to be worried about for now,” he said at Parliament.
He said police were investigating the case and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun would make an announcement on any development in the case.
He said police had yet to determine the motive in the case.
Azis said it was the first time that such an incident had happened.
“It just happened that the device contains radioactive material.”
The New Straits Times yesterday reported that the authorities
were searching for a 23kg RDD belonging to a company offering test, calibration and inspection services to the oil and gas industry.
Two technicians of the company had loaded the device into the back of the company’s Nissan Navara for a task in Seremban.
They completed the task and left Seremban for their office in Shah Alam at 2am.
When they arrived an hour later, they discovered the device missing from their pick-up truck.
The duo claimed they did not stop anywhere on their journey back to the office, but discovered the tailgate was lowered by the time they got back.
They said the device could have fallen out during the journey.
They said they retraced their journey but did not find the RDD.
The device contains the radioactive isotope Iridium-192, which emits beta and gamma radiation as it decays during its estimated half life of 73 days.
The NST reported that police and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board shared the same concerns of it falling into the hands of terrorists
or militants, or those who may treat it as metal to be dismantled and sold for a quick buck.
It was learnt that RDD has a market value of RM75,000.
According to published reports, Iridium-192 is one of the most stolen commercial radioactive isotopes that can be used in a dirty bomb — a non-nuclear device using conventional explosives to spread radioactive material over a wide area.
The compound is safe as long as it is inside its lead-shielded casing.
The NST learnt that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) did not find any sign that the tailgate had been pried open.
Investigators found that the tailgate’s locking mechanism was in good condition, saying that it was not possible for it to “unlock” by itself.
The Shah Alam police headquarters’ CID did not believe the duo’s story and had them remanded.
However, they were released on Friday after no criminal elements were traced to them, including their possible involvement in terrorism
or militancy.
At least 70 RDD were reported missing worldwide in 2016, including those containing the Iridium-912 isotope.
According to a report published by Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a body which researches and investigates radioactive and atomic energy sources, eight cases of devices containing the isotope had been reported.
The highest number of cases were RDDs containing Cesium137
(40 cases), followed by Americium-241 (32 cases).
NTI also stated that between 2013 and 2016, 42 cases of missing RDD containing Iridium-192 were reported.
The report stated that RDD with such devices could pose a threat to the public if they were misused or if they were used for criminal or terror purposes.
It said the radioactive material contained within these devices could kill if anyone is exposed to it.