There was a case a number of years ago that had a scrap metal
company in Mexico was buying junk metal from LA.

A Dentist had gone out of business - might have died or sold out ...
and the machine was to be taken out and scrapped in a local yard
that could handle the Co60 source. The Mexican scrapper noted
the load was really heavy and thought of Big Bucks... and packed
it into his car or truck. The source was a load of round ball bearings
like material. Short story version - contaminated the local yard,
then dropping some of these along the highway through a hole that
allowed bearings to drop out - leading the HAZ team to trace.

It got to Mexico, a kid got some neat looking metal and off he went.

The family, local scrapyard guys and the driver all got over exposed.

Nasty case of scrapping.

Martin

On 3/20/2013 12:59 PM, dpb wrote:
On 3/20/2013 12:02 PM, Gunner wrote:
On Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:03:01 -0500, wrote:

On 3/20/2013 8:49 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote:
...

Cost aside, I don't think it's very easy to get ahold of. I didn't try
very hard, but I didn't see much on offer in macroscopic sizes.

Ayup, it's not likely on the rack at the local ironmonger's, fer sure...

Oddly enough..it has turned up there, along with Cesium and other
Stuff.
...

Yeah, and (very hot) Co60 sources have turned up in kids' trousers
pockets on occasion, too, but it ain't terribly commonplace...

In US, ownership, production and use of DU are subject to state and
federal regulations per Title 10, Part 40, of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10CFR40).

In general, possession of more that 15 lbs. of DU requires a license
from the NRC or an Agreement State (a State which has it's own
equivalent of NRC oversight for commercial uses of nuclear material).

There are some specific exemptions for usage such as counterweights for
aircraft, missiles, large flywheels, etc., as well as for shielding for
things like spent fuel casks, x-ray and other radiation shielding
applications and the like with specific restrictions on how these items
are produced/labeled/controlled, etc., etc., etc., ...

That doesn't say that some don't necessarily follow all the rules on
disposal of some of these materials or that there aren't dealers who
have the necessary licenses in place to handle them. Again, just not
common.

--