Breaking Bad…is real? A bunch of radioactive materials were stolen from a designated Nuke laboratory this week. Find out what happened below.
Federal officials are saying that employees of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico stole radioactive materials from the facility and it’s not the first time this year. According to a federal court filing, in 2015 76 incidents were reported.
The materials were stolen from Area 54, where contaminated materials are held until they are shipped to another lab for further examination. Area G, is another zone where large pieces of materials are cut up and are so contaminated that they cannot leave the area. There are various signs at both locations indicating danger and the subject hazardous materials are to not be removed because of severe contamination.
On Sept. 30, an affidavit cites that officials of the lab reported a subcontractor employee who was at full liberty to inspect the designated area of contaminated materials, stole the items to federal investigators. The day before that, police officials responded to the call of a man discarding materials into a bush near the lab. What was found included a bandsaw, which registered 100,00 DPM (disintegrations per minute), when the allowable limit is 20. Contaminated to say the least. Agents retained permission from U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Yarbrough to warrant the search of the subcontractor employee’s home but no items were found.
The Los Alamos Police Department responded to a larceny call the previous day at another technical area, TA-18, where a man was seen throwing materials from the trunk of his car into bushes. Police officers found a bandsaw, Truefit gloves, a garden hose, screwdriver set, and conduits which some were marked “TA-54”. Police alerted Radiocative Control Technicians immediately, and the items/personnel tested positive for alpha-emitting isotopes. The personnel involved were taken to the lab for decontamination.
On Oct. 7, police obtained a state search warrant to search ANOTHER suspicious vehicle, which steering wheel, gear shift, and passenger door surveyed positive for contamination as well, registering 600-1,000 DPM’s (a measurement of the amount of energy emitted from a contaminated area). The missing materials and contaminated items all pose serious health risks as the investigation continues.
Source: ABJ
