Iridium 192 skin#

In February 2013, a cannister of Iridium-192 was stolen from a van in Bacup, Lancashire. Yes, quantities have gone missing in the United States, the UK and other countries. Although the jihadist group announced the establishment of a 'caliphate' stretching from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala Province in Iraq, it does not control areas near Basra where the Iridium-192 went missing. However, there is no indication the material had come into the possession of Isis. Such a weapon can be used to contaminate an area with radioactive material rendering the vicinity hazardous. Security officials fear the stolen Iridium-192 could be used to make a 'dirty bomb', which is a radiological weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. Exposure to the substance can lead to burns, radiation poisoning, acute radiation sickness and ultimately death. It can cause permanent damage in a matter of minutes. Iridium-192 can be fatal if someone is exposed to it for a period of hours to days without the material being handled properly. The material is a Category 2 radioactive source according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iridium 192 skin#

It is also used as a radiation source in radiotherapy, particularly brachytherapy which is commonly used to treat cervical, prostate, breast and skin cancer. It is used as a gamma ray source in industrial radiography to test for flaws in metal components, such as oil and gas pipelines. Unlike the more stable isotopes Iridium-191 and Iridium-193, Iridium-192 does not occur in nature. Iridium is a silvery-white metal and is roughly twice as dense as lead. The material is a radioactive isotope of the element iridium, which has a shelf-life of 73.83 days and emits beta and gamma radiation as it decays. What is Iridium-192 and what is it used for? The substance itself is the property of Istanbul-based SGS Turkey. The 'highly dangerous' Iridium-192, which was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop, went missing from a storage facility belonging to a US oilfield company in the southern city of Basra.Ī senior environment ministry official told Reuters up to 10g of Iridium-192 in capsules could not be traced. Radioactive material has been declared stolen from an oil depot in Iraq, sparking fears among officials it could be used as a weapon if seized by Islamic State.

Around 10g of the radioactive isotope Iridium-192 is missing in Iraq Getty