The Hindu : Other States / Maharashtra News : `Uranium bar cannot be used in bomb'

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Sunday, Feb 06, 2005

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Other States - Maharashtra

`Uranium bar cannot be used in bomb'

MUMBAI, FEB 5. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) today said that uranium bar, reportedly recovered from two persons in Uttar Pradesh in December last year, did not pose any security threat as it could not be used for producing a bomb.

AERB said in a statement here that the report of analysis carried by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has confirmed that the piece is of depleted uranium and this material contains very low concentration of fissile uranium (about 0.21 per cent of uranium-235) and hence it cannot be used for producing a bomb.

The piece also does not pose any significant radiation or health hazard as the radiation dose on the piece is negligible, AERB said.

Such pieces of depleted uranium, being a heavy material, are generally used as shielding material in imported industrial radiography cameras, radiotherapy units used in hospitals or as counterweight in aircraft, the statement said.

There have been instances in the past when such pieces have been found in scrap yards, AERB said adding that the piece is now in its custody.

AERB said that on going through the media reports it had asked senior superintendent of police, Bareilly, for details of the case.

He was also requested to send the piece to BARC for testing.

The media reports had earlier indicated that thick-taped plates recovered from the two drug peddlers in Uttar Pradesh contained radioactive uranium and hinted that the technology for making atom bombs was readily available. -- PTI

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