MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) says a radioactive capsule was discovered and recovered in Midland County over the weekend.
The agency says the discovery was made last Friday when a DPS Corporal assigned to the Radiological/Nuclear Threat Detection (Rad/Nuc) Unit was conducting routine patrol duties and received an alarm from his vehicle-mounted radiation detection system.
Recommended Videos
Using additional radiation detection equipment, the Corporal conducted a systematic survey of the area and determined that a Cs-137 radioactive source was emitting radiation from beneath the ground.
After confirming the presence of the source, the Corporal requested help from other local, state, and federal agencies to safely recover the object.
On Saturday, multiple agencies conducted radiological assessment and came up with a plan to recover the object.
“Continuous radiological monitoring was conducted throughout the operation, and designated hot and cold zones were established to ensure the safety of all personnel. Radiation exposure levels were closely monitored, and personnel rotations were conducted in accordance with established safety protocols,” DPS said.
Eventually, the source of the radiation was found six to eight inches below the surface.
The recovered item was identified as a 100-millicurie sealed radioactive source manufactured in April 1967.
“After the source was documented and radiation readings were verified, it was safely recovered without incident. The operation concluded with no injuries, no personnel contamination and no threat to the public,” DPS said.
It is unclear how the capsule ended up buried in the area, but the capsules are used in industrial gauging systems in the oil and gas industry.