Mexico's Stolen Radiation Truck: It Could Happen In the US

Lasrick writes "Tom Bielefeld, a physicist specializing in nuclear security, writes a detailed article that has some surprising revelations about nuclear security in the U.S. (and elsewhere). Although some security measures have been tightened since 9/11, the US does not require transports of category-1 to be protected by armed guards, and individual states don't have to provide lists of 'safe havens' to the transport company (and they often don't). And at hospitals and other buildings that house radioactive materials and devices, 'security conditions remain hair-raising, even when these facilities have been checked by inspectors.'"

At a NY Hospital a few decades ago...

[Etherwalk]

radioactive gold kept disappearing. After a while a staff member's wife or fiance turned up and had radiation poisoning to her hand--someone was taking the gold to make a wedding ring, and didn't know it was radioactive.

I'm sure security is a little better than it was then, but small amounts of radioactive material will probably always be gettable.

Re:Must not have thought the marriage would last..

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, this sounded like bunk to me to, but I found some real facts. The rings were made from gold beads which had been filled with radon and implanted in people. It's the radon decay products causing the radiation, not the gold. Here's a real journal article [nih.gov] about this problem.