Press Release

Radioactive sources go missing

22 Nov 2011

The Department of Health (DH) today (November 22) receives notification from Sing Yin Secondary School that yesterday, it noted that a steel safe containing a set of eight low-activity radioactive sources for teaching purpose had gone missing from the School.

"In Hong Kong, both the possession and the use of radioactive substance is subject to regulation by the Radiation Ordinance (Cap 303)," a DH spokesman states.

"According to the regulatory authority, the Radiation Board's record, the School has been exempted from licence requirement as the sources are of low activity and strictly for teaching purpose. This has been an ongoing international practice worldwide," the spokesman remarks.

On the circumstances of the loss, the spokesman reveals the Department is given to understand that as the teacher responsible was preparing for the removal of the sources from the School's old premises at 11 On Tin Street, Lam Tin, Kowloon, to the new one at 38 New Clear Water Bay Road, Choi Hung, Kowloon, the safe could not be located.

"The School took a day to search, but to no avail. The incident is thus reported to both the Police and DH today," the spokesman explains.

"Investigation so far indicates that the School placed the radioactive sources in individual lead-lined wooden boxes before stocking them in a locked steel safe, with a radiation warning notice posted outside," the spokesman elaborates.

He continues to emphasize that "If left intact, the radiation level outside the lead-lined wooden boxes containing the sources should be about the same as that of our usual background levels and in any case, as the sources are of low activity, their health threat is minimal."

"However, the sources being controlled and lost items, any person who comes across the wooden boxes must not open them, but alert the Police immediately," the spokesman urges.

DH will continue to investigate while also keeping a close monitor on the Police's finding.