Govt to install radiation monitoring portals at ports

The government has decided to install Radiation Monitor Portals (RMP) at all ports and entry points in the country amid reports that the recent radiation leak in West Delhi could have happened due to scrap brought in from outside.

The decision to purchase the RMPs was taken at a high-level meeting held recently in Mumbai which was called to discuss Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for scanning and disposing of junk materials carrying radioactive waste, official sources said.

The meeting was attended by officials of the department of atomic energy, prime minister's office, home and health ministries besides representatives from various intelligence agencies and came close on the heels of radioactive leaks detected in Mayapuri industrial area of West Delhi earlier this month.

In the meeting, the SOPs that were finalised on checking the junk, which is also imported at times from different countries before being sold off to scrap dealers, including installation of RMP which can monitor and detect if any radiation material is brought from outside.

RPMs are designed to detect ionizing radiation penetrating out of a container. In most cases gamma radiation is detected, while in some cases neutron detection when sensitivity for nuclear material is desired.

The portal can also be configured as a 'discreet fixed mount detection system' to monitor slow moving packages, luggage, or pedestrians. Digital video cameras can be easily integrated to further document and record alarm events.

During the meeting, the use of Cobalt-60 was discussed. Representative of Board of Radiation and Isotopes Technology (BRIT) said the department had a list of 2,500 users registered with it for use of Cobalt and every one was accounted for.

The same was informed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board which said its 150 license holders were institutions dealing with nuclear medicines and cancer hospitals.

Cobalt-60, a hard, lustrous and grey metal, among other things is used for radiography to treat cancer patients and for oil well exploration.

Panic was triggered in Mayapuri locality after news of a radiation leak spread. Six persons fell ill after coming in contact with a "mysterious shining object" in a scrap shop, later identified as Cobalt-60.

The scientists who examined the scrap were of the opinion that the Cobalt-60 was not available in the country in a form that was found in Mayapuri, sources said. There was also a possibility that it could have been part of the scrap that may have landed at Indian ports from abroad, they said.

At present, imported junks were screened for arms, ammunition and drugs only.

Meanwhile, investigators continued to search for clues to find the source of Cobalt-60 that had reached the industrial market of the national capital as they were looking into the possibility of whether the nuclear material found its way to other parts of the country.

Cobalt-based colours and pigments have been used since ancient times for jewellery and paints, and miners have long used the name Kobold ore for some minerals. Besides radiography, it is also used to measure thickness in nucleonic gauges and in medical applications.