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Georgia: UN atomic energy agency helps recover radioactive cylinders

Georgia: UN atomic energy agency helps recover radioactive cylinders

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In an operation described as "difficult but successful," radiation specialists from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), working with a team of Georgian civil defence personnel, have helped recover two highly radioactive cylinders from a remote area of that country's northwest forests, the Agency said today.

The cylinders, containing the radioactive element strontium, were recovered on Sunday and transferred for safe storage to a secure temporary storage site in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

IAEA experts say that the cylinders, which are the size of a human hand, were originally shielded and housed in portable electrical generators that were widely used in the former Soviet Union for generating electricity, heat, and battery power for remote communication systems.

Three people who found the cylinders last month have suffered "serious injuries" as a result of exposure to their radiation. The condition of two of the patients - still hospitalized - remains serious, but has not changed significantly over the past few days. The third has been treated and released from the hospital.

A meeting between Georgian authorities and experts from the IAEA and four other countries has been scheduled for later this week to discuss plans for locating, recovering and safely storing any other discarded radioactive materials in the country.

Georgia is one of more than 50 countries participating in a large IAEA technical assistance project to upgrade national capabilities for the safety and security of radioactive sources.