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2009-12-25 14:48:51 - HAZMAT - Thailand EDIS CODE: HZ-20091225-24311-THA
Date & Time: 2009-12-25 14:48:51 [UTC]
Area: Thailand, Capital City, Suvarnabhumi Int. Airport, Bangkok '!!! WARNING !!! Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: A radioactive scare swept through the Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday. So far, it was confirmed hours later that the iridium - 192 did not really leak from its container in the airport's BFS Cargo Zone C as initially reported. No one was injured, and no flight was disrupted. "One of the containers was dented but no leakage took place," Suvarnabhumi Airport director Nirun Thiranartsin said. When the Bangkok Flight Service (BFS) officials alerted about the dented container, the experts from the Office of Atoms for Peace were quickly summoned to inspect the scene. "We have detected no leakage," Rachata Suttisiri said as one of the experts. All seven BFS officials at the scene were sent to a hospital and results also confirmed that they were not exposed to any radioactive substance. Iridium-192 (Ir-192) is used in industrial gauges that inspect welding seams and in medicine to treat certain cancers. Exposure to Ir-192 can increase the risk for cancer because of its high-energy gamma radiation. External exposure to Ir-192 can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death.
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