Canada missing 76 radioactive devices over 5 years

Wow, this really is concerning! How can any authority be so lax in securing nuclear devices? This is roughly losing a nuclear device every 6 weeks.

No mention of this in major news. I just heard of another one today, but I haven't been able to find a story. I found this report instead.

Source

It's hard to believe this is purely 'accidental'. There is one case listed in the link above stating 5 days going by before one missing device was noticed....

[edit on 4-2-2008 by quintar]

Yeah, it was on CBC radio. Buddy in Fort Mac leaves the Ford F-350 unlocked in the hotel parking lot. Likely left the keys in it too. It got swiped. I haven't heard that the device was recovered but it was clearly marked. Buncha that stuff used in energy development... GPR, pipe scanners...

Vic

EDIT: To add: I looked for a US stat to compare... best I could find
www.csmonitor.com...

[edit on 4-2-2008 by V Kaminski]

Scary. These stories sound like ruses to me. Perhaps to create a plausable explanation for how "terrorists" got their hands on a nuke. Looking one layer deeper is in order these days.

SOme of them may not be missing, just relocated to a location thye'd rather not say on paper.


buuuuuuuuutttt.......

According to Richard Marcinko (and he should know, since part of his job was tracking down missing (stolen) mini nukes, and lots of other spooky stuff) several portable nuclear weapons have been stolen over the decades. and they sell for cheep on the blackmarket.

Oh, that's quite ok, nothing to worry about here. There really is no real enemy, it's just little Georgie's imaginary friends having a bad day, that's all.

We just have to understand them a little and give a much needed hug. They don't want to kill us, oh no, they would much rather sing kumbaya with you and me and Johnnie's two daddies and Rosie's two mommies because they are a very peaceful people

They probably just borrowed those devices to warm up some baby formula or something, that's all.

[/ Liberal mental disorder off/ ]

Alot of that stuff missing is low level testing or calibrating sources. Heavy sources like radium or cobalt used for x rays on piping and plate steel are heavily controlled. Lots of people run around with low level sources in their cars and trucks. These are more easily lost. The Radium and expecially cobalt sources are carried round in heavy lead lined transporting rigs. They are reeled out to expose film or reeled back in by a set of cables often from afar. THese Radium and cobalt type sources are more dangerous to use and also if lost...even to ordinary folks ..not just terrorists. They are heavily controlled items.

I recall seeing a series of safety pictures of a guy who found one of these sources which had fallen out of its safety container and onto the ground at a job site. This guy ignorantly put this raduim source in his back pocket and carried it around for some time...stopping in a office to talk to a secretary for awhile. He had no idea what he had picked up. Then he left the source with her on her desk before someone came along to pick it up.
The photos show his backside...where the source was slanted in his rear pocket. A red line about six inchs long ...at first. It quickly turned bright red/purple..to black and the flesh died. I never learned if the guy died from the exposure but is was obvious that his flesh where his back pocket was located was dying. It was definitely a unusual set of safety photos..hence i remember it even though it has been many years.

While it is not high level radioactivity ...as I recall the olde Coleman Lantern Mantles will set off a counter/frisking machine. So will bannanas if you eat enough of them.

Dirty type bombs are not what I am so worried about ..verses the other kind.

Thanks,
Orangetom

[edit on 5-2-2008 by orangetom1999]

reply to post by Alxandro


Why is everything you post some kind of snipe at an opposing political view?

Im a "crazy left winger" and I find this news very disturbing. But considering the details of such devices is limited, can we actually assume such devices could be used for bombs, dirty or nuclear? No I dont think we can.

No matter how you slice it, its bad news.

Originally posted by InSpiteOf
reply to post by Alxandro

 

Why is everything you post some kind of snipe at an opposing political view?

Im a "crazy left winger" and I find this news very disturbing. But considering the details of such devices is limited, can we actually assume such devices could be used for bombs, dirty or nuclear? No I dont think we can.

No matter how you slice it, its bad news.

In spite of,

Nuclear devices use a highly enriched type of uranium or plutonium. Radium or cobalt are not useful for this type of weapon. They are capable of emitting large doses of radiation. Especially the cobalt sources. These area difficult to acquire and are controlled materials. Only certain kinds of buisnesses even have need of this type of materials.

I am trying to imagine someone dumb enough to acquire sufficient amounts of this highly enriched radium or cobalt and try to form it into a dirty bomb. Wondering if they would live long enough to deliver it?? Especially Cobalt. I expect it wouldnt take long in handling such material incorrectly or without the right proceedures/tools to become very ill.
I am sure that this is one of the fingerprints that Homeland Security has flagged for special attention in world wide hospital reports...radiation sickness.

Just some random thoughts. YOu cannot live your life in fear. I dont think the average Yank here knows how to decontaminate...or even prepare for such. Or how to shield. Time...exposed. Distance from source of radiation/contamination. Shielding between you and source of radiation/contamination.

Just some random thoughts.
Orangetom

I remember these articles from a while back and frankly, I think they are pure propaganda. The so called "radioactive" devices stolen were gauges and radioactivity detectors. No enriched uranium or anything that could be used to build a dirty bomb or nuclear device like the title implies.
Many of the devices are being stolen from cars and trucks; hardly the place to store a potentially deadly "radioactive device".
The article uses vague details and terrorism rhetoric to scare you into thinking that an attack is imminent. It's rubbish propaganda.

This article does disturb me, however, because it shows that the government is making excuses for an attack to happen.


[edit on 6-2-2008 by Trauma]

everybody always worries about the old ussr 's unaccounted for nuclear stockpiles, now we gotta worry about canada to