“Dirty Bomb” Sensor Detects Radioactive Cat

A radioactive source detected in a car driving on Interstate 5 in Washington state was found to be a cat, the Seattle Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 16, 2006).

The incident involved a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was monitoring the highway for potential transport of a radiological “dirty bomb,” said agency official Joe Giuliano.

“Vehicle goes by at 70 mph,” Giuliano said last week during a meet on San Juan Island.  “Agent is in the median, a good 80 feet away from the traffic.  Signal went off and identified an isotope (in the passing car).”

The agent stopped and searched the car.

“Turned out to be a cat with cancer that had undergone a radiological treatment three days earlier,” Giuliano said.

“That’s the type of [detection] technology we have that’s going on in the background.  You don’t see it,” he added.  “If I hadn’t told you about it, you’d never know it was there” (Danny Westneat, Seattle Times, March 23).

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