In the German city of Vaihingen an der Enz on April 5, two men, while searching for Easter eggs in a garden, found a white plastic vial with a red cap and the inscription Polonium 210. After the discovery, they called emergency services, which launched a large-scale operation involving firefighters and police, UNN reports with reference to ZEIT and RND.
Details
According to German media, 138 rescuers and 41 units of equipment arrived at the scene, including radiation protection and hazardous materials units. The area around the vial's discovery site was cordoned off, but initial measurements did not detect any signs of radiation either near the container itself or next to it.
Both men were unharmed by their discovery, and the city authorities stated that there was no threat to residents.
Police reported that the vial was taken by the Ministry of Environment of Baden-Württemberg, which is responsible for further checking its contents. Law enforcement officers also have to find out where this container came from and how it ended up in a garden on the outskirts of the city.
Andy Dorroch, head of the district fire department, in turn, told the media that the vial looked authentic, had official markings, and its weight, according to preliminary estimates, could correspond to the content of polonium.
And the Federal Office for Radiation Protection of Germany notes that polonium-210 poses a danger primarily when it enters the body through food, water, inhalation, or open wounds.
It should be noted that this substance became widely known after the poisoning in London of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. A British official investigation established that he died of acute radiation syndrome after polonium-110 entered his body.
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