(Bangkok) A cylinder containing a dangerous radioactive substance has disappeared from a Thai power plant, authorities said on Tuesday, warning of serious health risks from direct exposure.
Staff at the coal-fired power plant in Prachinburi province, east of Bangkok, noticed the 30 centimeters long and 13 centimeters wide steel tube missing during a routine check Friday.
A search over the weekend failed to locate the 25kg tube containing highly radioactive cesium-137, said Kittiphan Chitpentham, a member of the national energy utility, which owns the plant.
The company assumes that the tube fell from a wall bracket, about 18 meters high, a few days earlier.
Radiation tests carried out at the factory show that it has since been removed from the premises.
“We are asking people in the area to help us find him,” said Narong Nakornjinda, the governor of Prachinburi province.
“The radioactive substance is contained in a closed and protected environment, but if someone opens the cylinder and exposes themselves to this substance, it can cause rashes and burns,” he warned.
The missing cylinder is part of a device used to measure the pressure of the plant’s steam column. Authorities have not specified how much cesium-137 it contains.
Authorities are trying to identify the person who took the cylinder through CCTV footage, the government agency responsible for nuclear research added, also advising against opening the cylinder.
“If someone breaks the cylinder, they directly put themselves at high risk of cancer and serious illness. So it is advised not to break it,” said Permsuk Sutchaphiwat, secretary of the government agency.
The cylinder’s disappearance comes weeks after a similar incident in Australia, where authorities found a small radioactive capsule that fell from a truck in mid-January after two weeks of searching.
