girlxinh
25-06-2006, 12:14 PM
AFP 8 June 2006
A box containing radioactive powder that went missing from an atomic institute in Hanoi was discovered in a densely populated area in the Vietnamese capital, state media said Thursday. The box had been stolen from the warehouse of the Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements by a construction worker on May 26, the daily Lao Dong newspaper said. It was found five days later after a woman called Hoa opened it to try and salvage the metal casings. Officials at the institute and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control refused to comment.
A neighbour of Hoa's said officials had conducted tests and told them their houses were clear of radioactivity. "Officials came to measure (radiation) in my neighbour's house and in mine. They also took water samples for test. We have been told that the environment was safe now," said neighbour Pham Thi Lac. "The ground of Hoa's house had been rebuilt and she shall move back on Thursday," Lac said. Lao Dong newspaper said the institute has been banned from operations for three months and fined 44 million dong (2,700 dollars).
A box containing radioactive powder that went missing from an atomic institute in Hanoi was discovered in a densely populated area in the Vietnamese capital, state media said Thursday. The box had been stolen from the warehouse of the Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements by a construction worker on May 26, the daily Lao Dong newspaper said. It was found five days later after a woman called Hoa opened it to try and salvage the metal casings. Officials at the institute and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control refused to comment.
A neighbour of Hoa's said officials had conducted tests and told them their houses were clear of radioactivity. "Officials came to measure (radiation) in my neighbour's house and in mine. They also took water samples for test. We have been told that the environment was safe now," said neighbour Pham Thi Lac. "The ground of Hoa's house had been rebuilt and she shall move back on Thursday," Lac said. Lao Dong newspaper said the institute has been banned from operations for three months and fined 44 million dong (2,700 dollars).