Last night a search was underway for a missing radioactive package that ‘did not’ arrive at Madrid’s Barajas airport.
The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) sounded the alarm last night about the transport package containing ‘four radioactive sources’ of ‘very dangerous’ category 2 Selenium-75.
Local reports said the CSN had sent a team of inspectors to the airport to try to gather more information.
It was not immediately clear how the shipping container containing the radioactive package disappeared.
The International Atomic Energy Agency defines Category 2 on a scale of one to five as “very dangerous to humans because the radioactivity poses serious risks if material is not properly protected.”
The CSN last night advised anyone who came across the package not to touch it and to immediately alert the authorities.
Selenium-75 is an isotope that has radiopharmaceutical applications. Se-75 sources are also used on offshore oil rigs and at power stations during outages.
In February, Barcelona Airport’s Terminal One was partially closed after it was discovered that the outer packaging of a box of medical supplies containing radioactive materials had broken.
Last night a search was underway for a missing radioactive package that ‘did not’ arrive at Madrid’s Barajas airport (photo)
The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) sounded the alarm last night over the transport package containing ‘four radioactive sources’ of ‘very dangerous’ category 2 Selenium-75 (stock image)
The box was found in the hold of a Swiss Airlines plane flying between Barcelona and Zurich.
Firefighters specialized in chemical hazards were sent to the scene, as well as special responders, although no medical assistance was required.
The CSN, in its initial comments on the scare, said: “The CSN has sent a team of three inspectors to Barajas Airport to find out more details about the incident and try to confirm whether the package has arrived at the airport.
‘The CSN is in constant contact with the Madrid community.’
The container that housed the radioactive material is described as a B(U) container, model NE4C. It should have reached the cargo terminal at the airport.
The CSN said: ‘All radioactive sources are properly encapsulated and shielded to prevent radiation from escaping to the outside.
‘The four radioactive sources fall into category two, on a scale of one to five as determined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with five being the least dangerous category.
‘Category 2 is called ‘Very dangerous to humans’ because their radioactivity poses radiological risks if they are no longer protected by their shielding.
“However, as long as they are kept in their shipping packaging, they pose no danger.”