Security

Honey, I Lost My Isotope!

"Where the heck did I leave that uranium?" Probably not what you want to hear out of a scientist’s mouth, particularly one in Pakistan, but that’s what comes to mind when reading about a series of ads being run there. Geoff Brumfiel at Nature covers this fascinating public awareness campaign: A Pakistani public information campaign […]

0705082_2"Where the heck did I leave that uranium?"

Probably not what you want to hear out of a scientist's mouth, particularly one in Pakistan, but that's what comes to mind when reading about a series of ads being run there.

Geoff Brumfiel at Nature covers this fascinating public awareness campaign:

A Pakistani public information campaign about what to do if you stumble across stray radioactive material is raising hairs on the necks of Western arms control experts.

The ads, which appeared last week in several Urdu-language newspapers, featured the large, yellow radiation symbol and a warning to report any lost or misplaced isotopes.

DANGER ROOM's own Jeffrey Lewis is quoted in the article as saying: "As public education campaigns go, it's unique."

The Pakistani government told Nature they were just worried about old medical equipment, not nuclear weapons material. Of course, stolen medical isotopes are also frequently cited as possible sources for so-called dirty bombs. Hardly a confidence inspiring measure.