Stolen Truck Carrying Hazardous Radioactive Material Found By Authorities

A stolen truck carrying hazardous radioactive material has now been located, according to Mexican authorities. News of the truck's discovery has calmed the nerves of many, but locals in the surrounding area are concerned about the possibility of radioactive contamination. While the radioactive material has been located, the cleanup process could take days.

Cobalt-60 is one of the 'high-risk' materials for creating dirty bombs, and nations from all parts of the world were naturally concerned when an entire truck carrying this material was stolen. A dirty bomb is one that sends radioactive material flying into a highly populated region.

The truck, which carried the radioactive isotope material known as cobalt-60, was stolen earlier this week in a rural part of Mexico by a pair of thieves. Initially, authorities were concerned that this was some elaborate plot to create a weapon of mass destruction. Cobalt-60 is a highly radioactive isotope that may lead to cancer along with numerous other serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. This concern was laid to rest, however, when the abandoned truck and its contents were found just half a mile from the rural Mexican town of Hueypoxtla.

Thieves stole the truck from a gas station in Hidalgo -- about 20 miles away from Hueypoxtla. "This was the first reported theft of cobalt-60," said an IAEA spokesperson. Thieves got away with a truck full of radioactive equipment that was previously used in old hospitals. When the cobalt-60 is properly contained, it poses little-to-no risk to those around; however, thieves removed it from its container before dumping it in the rural lands on the outskirt of Hueypoxtla. Thankfully, there were no residents in the immediate area where thieves choose to dump the cobalt-60 material.

"At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," said the UN Nuclear Watchdog Group International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The only people are placed in danger of becoming ill from the stolen cobalt-60 are the thieves. After taking the pellets out of their containers, the thieves inadvertently exposed themselves to this highly radioactive material. IAEA scientists believe there's a strong chance of the thieves developing cancer or radiation poisoning.

You can read more about the cobalt-60 theft, along with the cleanup efforts taking place, by checking out the CNN report here.