A metal cylinder with radioactive contents that has gone missing from a power plant in Si Maha Phot District, Prachinburi province, 100 kilometers east of Bangkok, has been found in the province.
The 30-centimeter- (12-inch-) long cylinder containing the radioactive material Caesium-137 was discovered missing on March 10 from a piece of machinery at the National Power Plant 5 which belongs to the National Power Supply Public Co., Ltd.
The company said it is not clear whether the cylinder had gone missing by accident. The company added a reward of 100,000 baht for anyone who can provide information about it.
According to a statement from the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP), search teams and drones have been deployed to recover the missing cylinder. The search focused on steel recycling facilities, junk shops and secondhand stores.
Eventually, the search team found it on Sunday, March 19, at one company in Hat Nang Kaeo Subdistrict, Kabin Buri District, while scanning for radiation along the piles of scrap metal, including the compressed steel that will go into the furnace.
Health officials cautioned the public that prolonged direct contact with radioactive material can cause skin rashes, hair loss, canker sores, fatigue, and vomiting. They said short-term contact with Caesium-137 may not show immediate symptoms but could lead to a higher risk of cancer.
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