Intro: Halliburton has lost a seven-inch radioactive rod somewhere in the Texas desert. The National Guard has been called in to help to find the device, which employees of the controversial US oilfield services company lost a week ago."

A radioactive rod similar to the one lost by Halliburton. (photo: Guardian UK)

Halliburton Loses Radioactive Rod in Texas Desert

By Rupert Neate, Guardian UK

18 September 12

Fears rod containing americium-241/beryllium could fall into hands of terrorists after employees of US oilfield services company lost it in transit between oil wells.

alliburton has lost a seven-inch radioactive rod somewhere in the Texas desert. The National Guard has been called in to help to find the device, which employees of the controversial US oilfield services company lost a week ago.

The rod, which contains americium-241/beryllium and is stamped with a radiation warning symbol with the words "Danger Radioactive: Do not handle. Notify civil authorities if found", was lost during a 130-mile journey between oil well sites in Pecos and Odessa last Tuesday.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) warned that the radioactive materials "could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them".

The agency said americium-241/beryllium, known as Am-241, is a "category 3" source of radiation and would normally have to be held for some hours before causing health problems.

But the NRC still warned that "it could possibly - although it is unlikely - be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of days to weeks".

A spokeswoman for the NRC said there are no records of radioactive rods lost in the last five years. "[There has] never been one lost in the public domain [in the last five years]," she said.

"Someone wanting to blow this source up would have to find it first."

The route the Halliburton truck took between Pecos and Odessa has been painstakingly searched with radioactive detection gear three times with assistance from local police and the National Guard.

"When the crew went to remove the Am-241 source they discovered the source transport container lock and plug were not in place and that the source was missing," the NRC said in its report into the incident. "The crew returned to the well site near Pecos and searched for the source, but did not find it. The radiation safety officer stated that the lock was found in the storage compartment in the back of the truck. The transport container plug was not in the container."

The three-man Halliburton crew, who had been using the rod to identify oil and gas deposits suitable for fracking, have been questioned by the FBI.

The NRC said Halliburton was carrying out a forensic search of the truck. "They are literally stripping it down, removing every piece of equipment looking for the source," the agency said.

Halliburton said it would offer a reward to anyone who finds the rod, but cautioned the public to stay at least 25ft away from the device.

"The route between the two well sites continues to be combed using specialised equipment in extensive ground searches and aerial analysis," the company said.

Halliburton, which was once run by former vice president Dick Cheney, has previously attracted controversy for its role in BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, building Guantánamo Bay and for working in Iraq, Iran and Libya.

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+22 # lisamoskow 2012-09-18 08:35

Why isn't Halliburton dismantled?

Haven't they done enough damage?

+4 # carp 2012-09-18 17:35

Quoting lisamoskow:

Why isn't Halliburton dismantled?

Haven't they done enough damage?

Haven't we paid them more than they are worth? for long enough.

+24 # Barbara K 2012-09-18 08:47

Is this why Frackers won't tell what they are using when fracking? Is this what they are using? If so, may they be the first to go. Someone needs to investigate to see what they are using. The fact that they won't tell is all the more reason to investigate to find out. We know they don't give a crap about the health of the citizens, but we need someone who does care to find out what they are doing to us.

0 # AndreM5 2012-09-19 08:17

Slow down a minute. The Am/Be source is not unique to fracking.

Am-241/Be is used in many industries for material analysis. The Am emits alpha particles that collide with the Be jacket to produce low energy neutrons. The neutrons interact with the unknown material to provide a form of spectroscopy--n eutron activation analysis--that helps identify the composition of the unknown.

The NAA is used all over the world at drill sites, but also in many other industries.

0 # noitall 2012-09-19 22:23

Well A-OK! Just good to know that all radioactive materials are only in responsible hands...which is THE POINT.

+14 # DaveM 2012-09-18 09:53

Based on the markings in the unit shown in the photo, just how would one know to stay "at least 25 feet away from it"? I know I couldn't read the lettering in the photo from 25 feet. Frankly, if I saw something this size laying along a road somewhere, most likely I'd assume a bolt or exhaust part had fallen off a car, and take no further notice.

I doubt that any terrorists have been out searching roads in the desert, at least until the possible presence of this device was advertised worldwide. Someone might well take interest now...

+12 # bluesapphire48 2012-09-18 10:45

You're right that it would be stories like THIS one that might get terrorists interested. In any case, I don't think any terrorists would have been out searching the desert. They're all in Washington, planning new attacks on Third World countries.

+3 # Majikman 2012-09-18 22:12

When a commenter uses the word "terrorist" I haven't a clue who they mean...KKK, skinheads, christian hate groups, neo-nazies, AlQueda, the CIA, zionists etal. Most confusing.

+1 # Pikewich 2012-09-20 09:13

Let us not forget our own government. Take, for example, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If dropping atomic bombs on civilian populations isn't the most egregious form of "terrorism", what is?

+5 # Glen 2012-09-18 12:45

You might be surprised who pays attention to what is in the possession of corporations such as Halliburton. Also, we do have domestic terrorists who have stolen dynamite and similar. Literally hundreds of pounds of dynamite have disappeared from companies in one fell swoop. It is not remarkable that something such as this "rod" would come up missing.

+11 # Street Level 2012-09-18 09:53

WTF? Why does Helliburnus have a radioactive rod to begin with? How does that help them find oil deposits? Do all the the crews have one? Are their trucks marked with warnings that they are transporting lethal cargo? Never lost one in the "public" domain? Last time I checked, radiation doesn't recognize borders.

0 # AndreM5 2012-09-19 08:22

By NRC and DOT regulations, the vehicles are marked and must use approved and secure containers for transport. There isn't an NRC inspector on every Halliburton pickup in Texas so they are licensed to perform certain tasks with specific sources. Each source is registered and inspected, the users are also regulated with required training, but there is no prevention for stupid.

+11 # colpow 2012-09-18 10:25

So, the radioactive sludge that 'comes up with the wastewater as a by-product of the fracking process' is not naturally occurring, after all. *Shock*.

0 # AndreM5 2012-09-19 08:19

The radioactive materials in the sludge are naturally occuring. The Am-241 is used to test samples from the well but is itself produced in reactors.

+5 # grouchy 2012-09-18 11:28

Hey Texas desert searchers; Look for glowing-in-the- dark horny toads or maybe glowing cactus!

+10 # angelfish 2012-09-18 12:10

WHY are these incompetents allowed to handle material as sensitive as this? I can't believe our Government is STILL dealing with them and actually PAYING for their "services". Get RID of Halliburton and Xe and ALL the remnants of the Bush/Cheney Regime! I feel dirty just typing their names!

+6 # Mannstein 2012-09-18 12:55

And I thought this sort of thing doesn't happen with private industry and the free market only to government which can't do anything right.

+5 # St. Michael the Archangel 2012-09-18 18:19

This is either a case of complete incompetence, or that rod is gone; as in stolen. Anybody want to start a betting pool that it's been stolen? The door was closed, and the lock was inside while the rod was mysteriously gone. I don't think it just happened to bounce out and close the door on it's way out.

-1 # AndreM5 2012-09-19 08:18

The problem is that the users in the field are poorly trained, especially in radiation safety practices.

+1 # Joe Bob 2012-09-19 15:45

Radioactive rods to determine suitable sites for Fracking..... OH Goodie
HELL-iburton.... Maybe the rod was DICK Cheney's.

+1 # Pikewich 2012-09-20 09:15

Whoopsy! Finders Keepers....

Refresh comments list
RSS feed for comments to this post

THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community.