Hunt to find stolen radioactive material

[Olesya]

I was reading all materials I could get my hands on about Yasser Arrafat's death. Wanting to read the latest Lancet report about his death, I couldn't access it. Luckily, I found this: "Polonium, a highly radioactive material" here _http://www.nst.com.my/latest/polonium-a-highly-radioactive-material-1.376367

PARIS : Polonium, the poison scientists suspect may be the cause of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s death in 2004, is a highly radioactive material rarely found outside military and scientific circles.

Swiss radiation experts have confirmed they found traces of polonium on clothing used by Arafat which “support the possibility” the veteran Palestinian leader was poisoned.

Arafat died in France on November 11 2004 at the age of 75, but doctors were unable to specify the cause of death.

No autopsy was carried out at the time, in line with his widow’s request.

His remains were exhumed in November 2012 and samples taken, partly to investigate whether he had been poisoned — a suspicion that grew after the assassination of Russian ex-spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

That investigation is ongoing, conducted separately by teams in France, Switzerland and Russia.

Also known as Radium F, it is a rare but naturally occurring metalloid found in uranium ores that emits highly hazardous alpha, or positively charged, particles.

Before being cited in connection with Arafat’s death, the substance had been named in the case of Litvinenko, a former Russian spy and dissident who died in a London hospital in 2006 showing symptoms of polonium poisoning.

Small doses of polonium 210 exist in the soil and atmosphere, and even in the human body, but in high doses it is highly toxic if it is ingested or inhaled, and can damage the body’s tissues and organs.

It is one of the rarest natural elements: in 10 grams of uranium there is a maximum of a billionth of a gram of polonium.

The substance has been used industrially for its alpha radiation in research and medicine, and as a heating source for space components, but in those forms it is not conducive to easy poisoning.

Small doses are also found in tobacco, derived from the soil and phosphate fertilizers used on tobacco plants.

Polonium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898 while they were doing research in France on the cause of radioactivity in the mineral pitchblende, the chief ore-mineral source of uranium.

Marie Curie named the material after her homeland of Poland, which at the time was under Russian, Prussian and Austrian control and not recognised as an independent country.

For their discovery of polonium, radium and their work on radioactivity, the Curies won the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, which they shared with Antoine Becquerel of France.

Like many other pioneering researchers in the field of radioactivity, Marie Curie died in 1934 at the age 67 of leukaemia, brought on by her handling of radioactive materials.--AFP

Looking further into it, I found two more articles that seem to connect to the latest news and all the warmongering on the part of Israel and it's allies. I'm still in a process of gathering information and writing a comment on SoTT on Yasser Arafat's death. I'll post it today here http://www.sott.net/article/267484-Arafat-may-have-been-poisoned-with-Polonium-210-Lancet-claims

Now, first article is "Hunt to find stolen radioactive material" _http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/hunt-to-find-stolen-radioactive-material-29642044.html

NICOLA DONNELLY – 08 OCTOBER 2013

A WARNING has been issued by gardaí and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland over the theft of highly dangerous radioactive material in Swords last weekend.

Seven lightning preventers, which were contained in a red metal box, were taken from a premises in the Swords area over the weekend of September 27 to 29, during the course of a burglary. The items are highly dangerous and should not be touched.

They were stolen from Rainey Fabrication on North Street in Swords.

'The conductors were adequately stored and we believe the burglars were looking for scrap metal,' a garda spokesperson said.

The lightning preventers have the appearance of aluminium or stainless steel but are of no scrap value.

Dr. Ann McGarry, CEO of Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, is concerned that some of the radioactive material on the conductors may come off onto the skin of people.

'Our concern would be that some of the radioactive material on the lightning conductors would come off on the skin of people if they touched them and then perhaps if they didn't wash their hands and touched food that they might ingest some of the radioactive material.'

She said the levels of radioactive material on the lightning preventers are quite high.

'We would appeal to people if they do come across them to contact Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland or gardaí,' added Dr. McGarry.

Anyone who discovers the items should contact gardaí at Swords on (01) 6664700 or any garda station or contact Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland on (01) 2066913 or out of hours (087) 9163364.

And the second, "How often do radioactive materials go missing in Ireland?" http://uk.news.yahoo.com/often-radioactive-materials-missing-ireland-175227961.html#qwdda6K

AT THE END of September, gardaí issued an appeal after radioactive material was stolen during the course of burglary in Swords in Dublin.

The burglars stole seven lightning preventers which were contained in a red metal box. The red box has radiation warning signs, a yellow triangle with a black trefoil symbol.
Since then, gardaí have renewed their appeal and the objects are still missing.

How often?

But how often do radioactive objects go missing or get stolen in Ireland?

Tom Ryan of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland said an incident like this “is a very rare event in this country”.

There have been events in the past. In 2004, there was a similar incident. The very same object – a lightening preventer – was removed from the roof of a church in Donegal. A major search was underway and the object was recovered, thankfully. We hope we will have the same result.Ryan said there have been no other thefts that the Radiological Protection Institute is aware of.

Lightening preventers

So what are lightening preventers and why are they radioactive? He said: Back in the 60s/70s there was a theory these lightning preventers placed on top of a lightening conductor would give more protection to a building. The idea was the radioactive element would make it a more efficient lightning conductor – but this has long been debunked.

He said that these sorts of lightning preventers are no longer in use and those that are already installed on buildings are being removed, which is what had happened to the seven that were stolen in Swords.

They were in storage and scheduled to be sent for destruction in Germany.

 

[Lilou]

SOTT carried this Al-Jazeera article reporting on Lancet's findings.
http://www.sott.net/article/267484-Arafat-may-have-been-poisoned-with-Polonium-210-Lancet-claims

 

[Lilou]

Oops, I see you already linked the SOTT article.