‘Lost radioactive cylinder’ alarm in Thailand

In Thailand, a search was launched after a metal cylinder containing radioactive material went missing from a coal plant.

According to the CNN report, in a statement by Atom for Peace (OAP), which conducts radioactive and nuclear investigations on behalf of the Thai government, search teams and drones headed to the area to find the cylinder, which is part of a silo used to measure ashes. OAP Assistant Secretary General Pennapa Kanchana said: “We are looking for waste recycling sites in the region. We use radioactive detection devices to receive signals. We also sent drones to places we couldn’t get to,” he said.

Warning locals not to touch the cylinder, Kanchana stressed that if exposed, the radioactive material in the cylinder can cause radiation burns and radiation-related illnesses. Police officials said there is still no clear information on how the cylinder disappeared.

The radioactive cylinder was noted to have been lost during routine checks by staff on March 10 at the coal-fired power plant in the town of Prachin Buri, east of the capital Bangkok.

The radioactive metal cylinder was reported to be 30 centimeters high and 13 centimeters in diameter, while the cylinder was part of a silo used to measure ash. The cylinder, thought to have been missing since February, was noted as containing a potentially lethal radioactive substance called “cesium-137.” (AA)