Authorities send back radioactive-contaminated pipe cargo

shahennews

 Border authorities have seized a radioactive-contaminated cargo of pipes and sent it back to the country of origin, Chief Commissioner of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), Hussein Labboun, said Wednesday.

Border officials and the EMRC staff have seized the 25-ton shipment which was found, after thorough radiological examination, contaminated with Radium 226 (Ra-226) and Thorium 232 (Th-232), Labboun added in a statement.

He indicated that it was decided to deny entry to the cargo and send it back to the place of origin as followed in such cases.

He stressed the importance of the supervisory role that the commission plays at all border crossings, noting that its staff operates 88 gates for radiological examination and 4 mobile vehicles used for the same purpose across the Kingdom’s land, sea and air border entry points.

Labboun also indicated that the commission’s border employees use hand-held devices used for the detection of radioactive materials, identification of their quality, monitoring of radiation ratios, and verifying that they do not exceed the permissible rates.

//Petra// AA