The vial contains a very weakly radioactive radium salt powder “perhaps there for a century”. People who touched it showed no clinical signs.
:quality(50)/2023/07/07/64a7df4c5fe71_placeholder-36b69ec8.png)
published
Reading time: 1 minute
:quality(50)/2024/02/15/080-hl-aboureau-2193388-65ce6ccb5d6f4415782176.jpg)
According to exclusive information from France Bleu Périgord, a vial of radium, a radioactive element of natural origin, was found in a house in Riberac (Dordogne) on Saturday, February 10. Six people were hospitalized in Perigueux after being exposed to the product. The prefecture makes sure there are none “No direct contamination” And “No radiation hazard”Adds Paul de Guibert, head of ASN’s Bordeaux department.
The vial was discovered by the children of the owners while tidying up the workshop of the house last Saturday. They then called the emergency services, who deployed a large device at the site for two days. According to information from France’s Bleu Périgord, Dordogne firefighters, a mobile unit specialized in radiological hazards from the Gironde and experts from IRSN, the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, also intervened.
No people are in danger
vial “Maybe there for a century”, Paul de Guibert believed, contained a very weakly radioactive radium salt powder. It was protected by the IRSN, and people who touched it showed no clinical signs. The house in question remains closed for now while all checks are carried out.
Radium was used in the early 20th century to paint watches, due to its lustrous appearance.
