Missing radioactive shipment found at FedEx facility

A shipment of radioactive rods used for medical equipment that went missing on Thanksgiving Day was found at the weened in Tennessee by shipping company FedEx Corp, reported South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

While the materials posed little threat to the public, experts say the misplaced shipment underscores the need to track low-hazard materials that theoretically could be used in small-scale terrorist attacks.

The rods are used to calibrate quality control in CT scans and contain and a low concentration of radiation, according to FedEx spokeswoman Sandra Munoz. The shipment was sent from a hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, and was reported missing at its destination, the equipment's manufacturer in Knoxville, Tennesse, prompting FedEx to alert all of its US stations.

The shipment was found at a FedEx station in Knoxville, Munoz said. The shipping label was missing from the outer box. All the rods were intact and no FedEx employees were exposed to radiation.

"It never left our custody," said another FedEx spokeswoman, Sally Davenport.

Three shipments of radioactive rods were mailed this week. The recipient notified FedEx when only two containers arrived in Knoxville, Munoz said.

The rods were packed in a metal cylinder, known as a pig, which is about 10 inches long and weighs about 20 pounds.

When FedEx employees found the unlabelled container and opened it, they found the metal cylinder, which remained closed. As long as no one tried to open the pig, the rods did not pose a threat, Munoz said.

While it was unlikely anyone could have used the rods to create a serious weapon, low-hazard materials are becoming more attractive to terrorists who are less interested in efforts on the scale of the September 11 attacks and more interested in creating fear and economic damage, according to Edwin Lyman, senior staff scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Lyman said such materials, often used in medical equipment, can be used to create "dirty bombs," which may cause relatively few casualties but can release hazardous materials when they explode.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)