Ctg port detects radiation in scrap shipment from Brazil
A container of scrap metal shipped from Brazil has tested positive for radiation at Chattogram Port, prompting customs authorities to halt its release and place it in isolation for further examination.
The radiation was detected through the Megaports Initiative Radiation Detection System on Wednesday as the container was being cleared through the port's Gate No 4.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. According to customs documents, the consignment, imported by Dhaka-based Al Aksa Steel Mills Ltd, reached Chattogram on August 3 aboard the vessel MV Mount Cameron. It was part of a five-container shipment, totalling 135 tonnes of scrap metal, destined for the company's factory in Dhaka's Demra area.
Preliminary and secondary screenings revealed traces of three radionuclide isotopes, including Thorium-232, Radium-226 and Iridium-192, inside the container. The initial reading measured one microsievert, a relatively low dose, but customs officials said the actual level could be higher as the scrap and container walls may block some of the radiation.
"Following the alert, the container was kept in a secure location, and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission has been notified. Their experts will conduct an on-site inspection before we take further action," Marufur Rahman, joint commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, told The Daily Star.
Radioactivity was first detected in Bangladesh in 2014. On April 29 that year, radiation was found in a container of stainless steel scraps at Sri Lanka's Colombo Port while it was being exported from Chattogram Port to India. The container was later brought back to Chattogram where a joint team of scientists from four countries removed a radium-beryllium source.
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