Search Ends For Lost Radioactive Item On Texas 225

October 22, 2007

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Texas 225 reopened about 8 p.m. Thursday after authorities called off their nearly five-hour search for a dime-size piece of radioactive material that fell off the back of a truck.

Officials with the Department of State Health Services said they will continue to search the area over the weekend, but they do not believe the very small, low-level radiation source poses any risk to the public.

The joint search by the Pasadena Fire Department, Harris County Haz-Mat, and the Department of State Health Services shut down the westbound feeder and mainlanes of Texas 225 between Preston and Beltway 8 after a moisture-density gauge containing two sources of radiation fell off the back of a pickup truck and broke into pieces about 3:50 p.m., said Pasadena Fire Chief Lanny Armstrong.

One of the pieces was found, but the other is still missing, Armstrong said.

The tiny device is believed to be encapsulated in a form of stainless steel shield to keep the radiation from escaping, he said. The driver of the truck may be cited by police, Armstrong said.

The Department of State Health Services will also conduct an extensive investigation into the company that owns the truck and gauge, Professional Services Industries, said Lisa Clark, a field inspector with the department.

The company is required to transport the radioactive material in a special case that is supposed to be doubled chained and locked in the back of the truck, Clark said.

Authorities decided to close down the highway so that searchers could look for the material safely, she said.

“We would not like to have any sort of radioactive material loose, no matter how small,” Clark said.

The missing radioactive material has a half-life of about 450 years, and emits about as much radiation as a household smoke detector.

While it’s obviously low-level radiation, something tells me we wouldn’t close down a major freeway for 5 hours to look for something that is similar in nature to a household smoke detector.

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