All missing Cobalt-60 pencils recovered

It is reported that the BARC expert team has recovered all the cobalt pencils from the scrap yard at Mayapuri, Delhi, after a month of exposure of eight people to the gamma radiation from the Cobalt-60 source. The sources were inside the Gamma Cell which was sold (as junk sale) by the Delhi University and was dismantled by the scrap dealer. It is reported, however, that there were 48 slots inside the Gamma Cell for keeping the pencils. Only 16 pencils are recovered. What about other pencils? Dummy pencils?

The incident was reported to the International Atomic energy Agency and the agency after though investigation will assign severity level for the incident. The level may be probably 3 or 4. The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is made up of 7 levels of increasing severity; 3 incident-levels and 4 accident-levels.

There are issues to be resolved by the concerned authorities:

1. Common man wants to know the action taken against the persons responsible for such an event. This is a criminally careless action. The action should severe enough to serve as a warning to others.

2. Investigation should be ordered to check/confirm whether such so-called decayed sources are still available in other institutes. India Government should ensure that such incidents are not repeated.

3. Proper inventory of all sources lying in research institutes and in industrial units should be made by the national regulator, AERB on Cradle to Grave basis.

4. The government should publish full report on the incident and all information/actions taken should be made transparent.