A capsule containing a radioactive metal for industrial use is missing from a Venezuelan oil facility, authorities said Wednesday.
CARACAS, Venezuela — A capsule containing a radioactive metal for industrial use is missing from a Venezuelan oil facility, authorities said Wednesday.
Oil company B.J. Servicios de Venezuela told officials on Dec. 28 that the capsule containing Cesium-137 had disappeared from its facility in El Tigre, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) east of the capital of Caracas, public security chief Wolfgang Castillo told The Associated Press.
Energy ministry official Angel Diaz Aponte told reporters Wednesday the material had likely been stolen to be sold, and he said similar material is used widely in Venezuela's petroleum industry. The capsule at El Tigre was meant for use in ground studies.
Aponte said there were no signs of a forced break-in at the facility and that heavy equipment was needed to remove the capsule.
Investigators urged the public to avoid contact with the capsule because its contents were "highly contaminating."
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Cesium-137 is a soft, silvery white metal widely found in devices such as gauges for construction and drilling, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. High exposure can cause serious burns and sometimes death.
Source: Associated Press
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