Device containing ‘dangerous’ radioactive material missing in Texas as state health department warns
Device containing ‘dangerous’ radioactive material missing in Texas as state health department warns anyone who touches it could lose fingers and scours pawnshops in desperate bid to find it
- Houston authorities search for an x-ray camera containing radioactive material, which disappeared from a truck parked at a restaurant
- The device is used to view hidden structures and is commonly used in the construction and oil industries.
- Radioactive material is extremely dangerous if someone were to enter the part of the capsule where it is stored.
Houston area officials are currently searching for an x-ray camera containing radioactive material that disappeared Thursday from a truck that was parked at a local restaurant.
The device, which is used to view hidden structures, is essentially a portable X-ray machine and is commonly used in the construction and oil industries.
Texas Department of State Health Services officials say the device contains radioactive material that is “sealed within multiple layers of protection,” making it safe if left untampered.
However, if someone were to enter the part of the capsule where the material is stored, it could be extremely dangerous with the potential to cause serious injury or even loss of limb.
Houston authorities search for an x-ray camera containing radioactive material, which disappeared from a truck parked at a restaurant
Houston-area officials are searching for an X-ray camera containing radioactive material that disappeared Thursday from a truck parked at a local restaurant.
Authorities urge anyone who can find the device to report its location immediately, so it can be safely recovered.
The radiographic camera is marked with a radioactive symbol and weighs 53 pounds and is the property of Statewide Maintenance Company.
“It has a radioactive symbol on the side, but if someone were to get into the part of the capsule where the radioactive material is, it’s extremely dangerous, like losing your fingers,” said Lara Anton, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State. State Health Services to nbc news.
“Our goal is for people to let us know if they see it, so we can get it back.”
Radioactive material is extremely dangerous if someone were to enter the part of the capsule where it is stored. It is clearly marked that it is radioactive.
Officials have already contacted pawn shops and junkyards, which are common places for similar stolen items to be sold.
“Obviously, we’ve already contacted the pawnshops, because when it happens and someone tries to pawn it, the pawnshops are on the lookout, and the junk places,” Anton explained.
So far, a search for radioactive sources within a five-mile radius of the restaurant where the device disappeared has turned up nothing.
Though concerning, similar devices have been found intact in the past, even after being lost in floodwaters.
In 2020, an x-ray camera was found in the Stonewall community after being dragged aboard a contractor’s truck. Health officials later confirmed that no radiation had been released in that case.
Similarly, in February this year, authorities in Australia were able to recover a small but highly radioactive capsule that had fallen from a truck in the outback.
Even though the missing device is unlikely to pose a significant threat to the public, officials urge caution and encourage anyone who comes across the camera to report its location immediately.
If you find the camera, don’t try to open it. Instead, officials ask you to call 911 or the DSHS 24-hour hotline at 512-458-7460 to report your location. The company offers a reward for the return of the camera.