Device containing ‘hazardous’ radioactive material missing in Texas – as state heath department warn anyone who touches it could lose fingers and scours pawn shops in desperate attempt to find it
- Authorities in Houston are searching for a radiographic camera that contains radioactive material, which went missing from a truck parked at a restaurant
- Device is used to see hidden structures and is commonly used in the construction and oil industries
- Radioactive material is extremely hazardous if someone were to get into the part of the capsule where it is stored
Houston area officials are currently searching for a radiographic camera that contains radioactive material which went missing on Thursday, from a truck that had been parked at a local restaurant.
The device, which is used to see hidden structures, is essentially a portable X-ray machine and commonly used in the construction and oil industries.
Officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services say the device contains radioactive material that is ‘sealed within multiple layers of protection,’ making it safe if undisturbed.
However, if someone were to get into the part of the capsule where the material is stored, it could prove to be extremely dangerous with the potential to cause serious injury or even the loss of limbs.
Authorities in Houston are searching for a radiographic camera that contains radioactive material, which went missing from a truck parked at a restaurant
Houston area officials are searching for a radiographic camera that contains radioactive material which went missing on Thursday, from a truck parked at a local restaurant
Authorities are urging anyone who may come across the device to report its location to immediately, so that it can be safely retrieved.
The radiographic camera is marked with a radioactive symbol and weighs 53 lbs and owned by the Statewide Maintenance Company.
‘It does have a radioactive symbol on the side of it, but if somebody were to get into the part of the capsule where the radioactive material is, it’s extremely hazardous, like losing fingers,’ said Lara Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services to NBC News.
‘Our goal is for people to let us know if they see it, so that we can take back possession of it.’
Radioactive material is extremely hazardous if someone were to get into the part of the capsule where it is stored. It is clearly marked that it is radioactive
Officials have already contacted pawnshops and scrap metal places which are common places for similar stolen items to be sold.
‘We’ve obviously already contacted pawnshops, because when it does happen and somebody tries to pawn it, pawn shops and are on the lookout for it — and scrap metal places,’ Anton explained.
So far, a search for radioactive sources within a five-mile radius of the restaurant from where the device went missing has so far revealed nothing.
Although concerning, similar devices have been found intact in the past, even after being lost in flood waters.
In 2020, a radiographic camera was found in the community of Stonewall after it had been washed away on board a contractor’s pickup truck. Health officials later confirmed that no radiation had been released in that case.
Similarly, in February of this year, authorities in Australia were able to recover a small but highly radioactive capsule that had fallen off a truck in the outback.
Despite the fact that the missing device is unlikely to pose a significant threat to the public, officials are urging caution and encouraging anyone who comes across the camera to report its location immediately.
If you find the camera, do not try to open it. Instead, officials ask that you call 911 or DSHS’ 24-hour line at 512-458-7460 to report its location. The company is offering a reward for the camera’s return.
