Mexico emergency alert: deadly radioactive stolen
According to local media reports such as Mexico’s “Cosmic”, because an industrial equipment containing radioactive sources was stolen in the state of Mexico, the Mexican national security department and the civil defense department sent a report to the capital city of Mexico City and the state of Mexico and Hidalgo on April 11, local time. Eight states within it issued an alarm, calling on citizens to take precautionary measures. According to reports, if the equipment is used improperly, it will cause serious harm to the human body. As of press time, the equipment containing radioactive sources has not been found.
Mexico’s National Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and the National Civil Defense Agency stated in a notice that this equipment containing radioactive sources was violently stolen on the road into the city of Teoloyucan, Mexico, on the 11th, and was robbed and returned. There is a Toyota pickup. The device weighs about 25 kg, is 22.9 cm high, 33.8 cm wide, and 19.1 cm long. The device contains an iridium-192 radioactive source with serial number TT3303. The notice stated that “if the radioactive source in the equipment is taken out, it will be permanently damaged if it is in direct contact with it for several minutes to several hours.”
After the equipment was stolen, the Mexican federal and local governments immediately coordinated all parties involved in the search for the equipment, searched the surrounding areas where the case occurred, and initiated preventive protection procedures for surrounding residents. The local government advises the public to notify the relevant departments as soon as they find suspected equipment or related clues, do not approach or operate the equipment, and try to keep a safe distance of at least 30 meters from the equipment. Relevant departments will register the people who may have been in contact with the equipment or in the radiation area as soon as the equipment is discovered, and take corresponding measures.
According to reports, Iridium-192 is often used for flaw detection in industrial equipment, and it is also used in medical treatment, such as the treatment of cancer. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, if it is handled improperly, a person’s body may suffer permanent damage if exposed to it at close range for several minutes to several hours; if the exposure time is from several hours to several days, it may be fatal. Prior to this, several incidents of theft of radioactive materials had occurred in Mexico, but they were basically recovered. For example, the theft in July 2018 caused the authorities to issue an alert to Mexico City and 8 states including Mexico State and Hidalgo. At that time, the equipment containing radioactive sources was found 8 days after the theft, and the equipment was not operated or opened.
April 12th is the Russian Space Festival. 60 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin completed the world’s first space flight that lasted 106 minutes on the Vostok 1 spacecraft. On the occasion of this 60 years, various commemorative events have been held throughout Russia to cherish the memory of this space hero. Russian President Putin also participated in related commemorative activities.
Russia’s TASS News Agency reported on the 12th that the Russian President’s Press Secretary Peskov stated that on the same day that President Putin visited Engels City on the day of the space festival, visited the “Conqueror of the Universe” park established for Gagarin’s landing site, and gave a message to the Gagarin Monument. Present flowers. President Putin will then preside over a meeting in Engels City to discuss Russia’s plan to develop space activities. Accompanying Putin to the Engels city were Russian State Duma Chairman Volodin, Saratov Governor Valery Radayev, and the world’s first female astronaut Tereshkova.
Rogozin, general manager of the Russian National Aerospace Corporation, presented flowers to the tomb of Gagarin under the Kremlin wall on the same day. He said that the space festival is a national holiday and a day that makes the people of Russia proud. It is the victory day of the Patriotic War in Russia. The meaning is quite. At the Gagarin subway station in Novosibirsk, a Gagarin statue was unveiled. In the suburbs of Moscow, four streets were named Gagarin. The Russian astronauts of the International Space Station also expressed congratulations to the Russian people on this anniversary, and the space station commander Ryzhkov thanked everyone who dedicated themselves to space research and the advancement of human space research.
RIA Novosti reported that on the occasion of the space festival, a survey report released by the Russian Social Public Opinion and Market Research Center showed that 50% of the Russian people believe that their country is a major aerospace power, and 37% of the people believe that space development and research should continue. . In addition, the Russian Yandex website published statistical information, summarizing the most frequently asked questions about Gagarin by netizens. The results show that Russians most want to know “In what year Gagarin flew into space”, and secondly curious about “his death”. The third question is “How long did Gagarin’s flight last?” “.
Russian astronaut Kornienko, who has been on a one-year mission to the International Space Station, called on people to pay attention to garbage sorting on the occasion of the festival to prevent the ecological environment from harming life on earth. He said: “Let’s start with ourselves and sort out garbage. When Russia first started to implement sorting, I bought a sorting bin for myself, and I’m working hard to sort out the garbage. Otherwise, one day, we will not be destroyed by war. , But will die from the deterioration of the ecological environment.” At the same time, on the occasion of celebrating the 60th anniversary of Gagarin’s space flight, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called on countries around the world to formulate a legally binding agreement to prevent military confrontation in space.
