ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 3, 1990                   TAG: 9005030429
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short


RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL MISSING FROM UNIVERSITY

A 115-pound wooden crate containing a piece of radioactive metal used in cancer treatments has disappeared from Georgetown University Hospital, and poses a major risk of injury or death if mishandled, university officials said Wednesday.

"It could be very harmful," said Carol Fox King, assistant director of medical public relations at Georgetown. "It could be lethal."

King said the radioactive material, iridium 192, was sealed in a lead-shielded cylindrical container within the crate, which is 14 inches long, 15 inches wide and 16 inches high. The crate bears the label "Caution: Radioactive Handle Carefully, Iridium 192, 10 Curies, Transportation Index: .6"

- The Washington Post



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