Radioactive Material Missing in West Texas
Law enforcement on the hunt for small cylinder
By Jordan Smith, 5:01PM, Fri. Sep. 14, 2012
If you're heading out onto the flats of West Texas this weekend and along the way you happen upon a small silver cylinder with red writing on it, whatever you do, don't touch it.
The Department of State Health Services warns that the cylinder, approximately seven inches long and an inch across, contains radioactive Americium-241/Beryllium, lost by a Halliburton crew out evaluating oil and gas wells outside of Pecos. By the time the crew got to Odessa they realized the protective shield that holds the device was unlocked and the cylinder was missing, according to a press release.
While the substance isn't considered "highly radioactive" it "could expose someone who comes into close contact with it for an extended period of time a harmful dose of radiation," reads the press release. DSHS asks anyone who might come across the cylinder to call police. DSHS is working with law enforcement and the Austin-based 6th Civil Support Team of the Texas National Guard to locate the material.
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
Sarah Marloff, Nov. 27, 2013
Richard Whittaker, Aug. 28, 2014
Richard Whittaker, June 24, 2014
May 22, 2014
radioactive, Halliburton, DSHS, Legislature, Texas National Guard
