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Photo of radioactive material that was stolen. Radiological society of Ireland

Gardaí renew appeal for stolen radioactive materials

The stolen radioactive materials that were stolen at the end of September are highly dangerous.

GARDAÍ IN SWORDS are renewing their appeal for information following a burglary in which radioactive materials were stolen at the end of September.

They want to reiterate their message and warn the public that the radioactive material that was taken during the course of the burglary is highly dangerous.

Lightening preventers

The radioactive material taken is described as seven lightning preventers which were contained in a red metal box. The red box has radiation warning signs, a  yellow triangle with a black trefoil symbol.

They were stored under lock and key and were scheduled to be recycled in Germany.

They have the appearance of aluminium or stainless steel but the gardaí state they have “no scrap value”.

They were stolen from a unit at the weekend of the 27-29 September.

If someone comes across the materials they should not be touched or approached.

High dose of radiation

Speaking to TheJournal.ie at the time of the burglary, David Dawson from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland said the material “has a very high dose of radiation and is extremely hazardous to the health of anyone who comes into contact with them”.

If any person discovers these items or has any information as to where they are, they should contact the gardaí at Swords 6664700 or any garda station or contact the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland on 01 2066913,01 269 7766, (Out of office hours – 0879163364).

Read: Highly dangerous radioactive material stolen by burglar in Swords>

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42 Comments
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    Mute BlueSkyThinking
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:30 AM

    Maybe they should only search for the thieves when its dark?

    134
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    Mute Sandbag
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:57 AM

    Either that or start staking out the local oncology ward.

    40
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    Mute the bad mood pixie
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:53 AM

    Stupid knackers

    102
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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:34 AM

    I just hope the thieves don’t dump the stuff in a place that kids (or anyone else) might find them.

    99
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    Mute Leah Burgess
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:42 AM

    Could be a way of cleansing the gene pool if they become sterile.

    76
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    Mute Martin
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:12 AM

    Garda as looking for a nuclear powered hiace

    74
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    Mute Justin Donoghue
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:18 AM

    I saw a DeLorean earlier maybe they’ve traded up.

    30
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    Mute Phillip Brady Brady
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:28 AM

    Sounds like the start of a comic.

    68
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    Mute Tomás O'Loughlin
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:45 AM

    I keep thinking of the Simpsons episode with a radioactive Mr Burns…”I bring you love…”

    61
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    Mute Niall Hendrick
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:45 AM

    “He’s bringing love, break his legs so he won’t get away”

    41
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    Mute seamus mcdermott
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:37 AM

    Reminds me of a case in Mexico where a cobalt source from an xray machine was sent to a scrap yard. It was melted down and added to cast iron table bases and distributed to restaurants. You can imagine the exposure levels to everyone along that line of distribution. Ugly.

    35
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    Mute William Grogan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 12:11 PM

    What was the exposure level? You’re radioactive yourself.

    1
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    Mute David Jordan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 2:49 PM

    It happens more than you think. Cobalt-60 sources are used to check the thickness of steel and can fall off on to a conveyor belt and end up in metal scrap.

    The worst case was in Taiwan in the 1980s, when a powerful cobalt source ended up contaminating steel used in reinforced concrete. Hundreds of apartments were contaminated for years before anyone noticed.

    However, despite doses of several hundred milisieverts per year (100 time or more than normal), the overall cancer rate is lower than the average even after adjusting for age and wealth etc. That said, it can take decades before elevated cancer rates are detected, and medical studies can only reliably detect in increase in cancer rate of ~20%, anything lower can’t be detected over the noise caused by diet, smoking, pollution, viruses and other lifestyle factors. The doses involved may cause increased cancer risk by 1-3% only.

    The current radiation risks are are calculated based in Japanese Atom Bomb survivors, who experienced extreme and extremely brief exposure to radiation, rather than long term and low dose rate.

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 3:09 PM

    David. Current thinking is that very low doses of radiation do not cause Cancer. The old linear graph of Dose v Cancer risk is wrong. The risk drops off completely at lowish doses.

    The examination of Japanese Atomic Bomb survivors’ data does not show any increase at low levels. In fact by low I might what would be regarded as higher than allowed in industry. This is why it is now believed that no one else, other than those who got Thyroid Cancer (<20 died) or have already died from the explosion (3) or by radiation sickness (<30), will die as a result of the Chernobyl accident.

    PS I read recently that a full body CAT scan gives you the same radiation dose as standing about 3 miles from the Hiroshima bomb.

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    Mute Jazz O'Gorman
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:38 AM

    Does a radioactive cat have 18 half-lives?

    32
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    Mute Stephen Moran
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:36 AM

    The fallout from this lewd act will be sufissiont.

    31
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    Mute Thing
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:30 AM

    The first sentence made me laugh. Stolen.Stolen.

    24
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:51 AM

    Unusual for something so dangerous to be stolen so often.

    15
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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:00 AM

    So, let me get this straight, the materials were STOLEN? :-)

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    Mute Little Jim
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:27 AM

    “The stolen materials that were stolen.. “, so good they stole them twice.

    33
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    Mute jake mansfield
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    Oct 9th 2013, 12:09 PM

    Jim Corr bought them and made hats out of them!!!!

    21
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    Mute Bastard Smooth
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    Oct 9th 2013, 2:12 PM

    UP AND ATOM!

    19
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    Mute Nyal Maku
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    Oct 9th 2013, 6:13 PM

    Up and at them!

    9
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    Mute Ciaran O Connor
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:31 AM

    WANTED: Radioactive man. Look out for someone with a weird yellow and green glow

    17
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    Mute Mike Clinton
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:45 AM

    And a dick like Darth Vadars light sabre.

    44
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    Mute Justin Donoghue
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:03 AM

    North Korea and Kim Jong Un up to their tricks again. A nearby pie shop was cleaned out of all it’s pies soon after I hear.

    17
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    Mute Declan Mannix
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:44 AM

    They wil probably sue if they get sick ya know, wait and see.

    16
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    Mute mark ryan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 10:54 AM

    Percy Jackson ya big messer ya

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    Mute Annette Temple
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:00 AM

    Hahaha… Loving your work! :)

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:05 AM

    How long were these things in storage and why hadn’t they been processed?

    7
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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Oct 9th 2013, 1:30 PM

    Attention Ireland..I have completed my dirty bomb from these materials that my minions of idiocy and evil stole.
    I now demand the sum of ONE MILLION Euros[In Euro coins] from the Irish Govt,tobe deliverd to a location set by me.

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    Mute #thankyousiralex
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    Oct 9th 2013, 12:42 PM

    I’m sure the Libyans will catch up with them at some stage with their rocket launcher

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    Mute Sean O' Donovan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 8:50 PM

    Now what use can I make of my newly acquired goods?

    1. Soak me hands in it before me fight. I’ll hit him like the hulk.
    2. Use it to heat the water in my stolen copper cylinder.
    3. I can build some sort of triangular fan out of it as denoted by the symbol on the box.

    5
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    Mute Pádraig McCann
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:05 AM

    The stolen radioactive materials that were stolen at the end of September are highly dangerous. :)

    5
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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:45 AM

    What’s red and eats nuts?

    5
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    Mute Martin
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:54 AM

    Your mama

    15
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    Mute Les Oulton
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    Oct 9th 2013, 1:44 PM

    What’s a “lightening” conductor?

    4
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    Mute Patrick Linehan
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    Oct 9th 2013, 1:56 PM

    A guy in front of an orchestra on speed!

    21
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    Mute Peter Hughes
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    Oct 9th 2013, 12:03 PM

    Any criminals with a mutant “newly formed second head” type appearance should be kept in mind for this crime.

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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Oct 9th 2013, 11:58 AM

    That’s a bit prejudicial, Jane. Some will just be mischievous.

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