The Texas State Department of Health Services launched a large-scale search after a camera containing radioactive material went missing in the Houston area. The camera disappeared on March 9, 2023, and the last confirmed location was 4040 Little York Road in Houston, according to the department. The camera was used by a company in construction to produce radiographic images and then stepped in to detect imperfections that were not visible to the naked eye. And the company lost this camera.
Authorities did not release information about the type of radioactive source inside the camera. But radiography equipment manufacturers Source Production & Equipment Co. says it can use iridium-192 or selenium-75. The product uses depleted uranium (DU) as a shield. A less radioactive version of naturally occurring uranium, depleted uranium is often used as a shield against radiation from X or gamma rays because of its high density.
“Such radioactive sources are called a ‘sealed source’ because the radioactive material is enclosed in a capsule, which is sealed inside the camera with a protective shield and other safety features,” the State Health Services Department said in a statement. “There are radiation marks on the outside of the camera. Radiation levels outside the camera are not dangerous.”
The only way the camera could pose a threat to the public is to dismantle it and remove the radioactive material from its housing. According to The New York Times, department spokesperson Lara Anton says she finds the situation very dangerous.
The company that owns the camera announced that it will reward those who bring the camera.
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