Radioactive cargo detained at the Russian border, returned to Lithuania

Nov. 19, 2008

Abstract:

On 19 November 2008, a truck carrying sports equipment was detained at the Russian border when radiation detection devices registered abnormal levels of ionizing radiation. According to a DELFI news report, the sports equipment was contaminated with cobalt-60 and emitted radiation of 4 microsievert per hour, while the normal background radiation level is 0.08-0.1 microsievert/h. The truck was isolated and inspected. The news report did not specify at which checkpoint the truck was detained, nor its final destination, but mentioned that it could be returned to its owner in Germany. {Entered GM}

Abstract Number: 20090030
Headline: Radioactive cargo detained at the Russian border, returned to Lithuania
Date: 19 November 2008
Bibliography: "Na granitse zaderzhan radioaktivnyy gruz," DELFI, 21 November 2008; http://ru.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=19371033.
Material: Waste/Scams/Contaminated Materials

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS.

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This article is part of a collection examining reported incidents of nuclear or radioactive materials trafficking in or originating from the Newly Independent States.