Six men have been treated for radiation poison in a hospital in Mexico. Authorities found them inside of a stolen truck that had radioactive material inside. Authorities recovered the material that got the men sick. The six men that were suspected to be suffering from radiation were treated inside of Pachuca General Hospital, but they were found to be negative for the condition. They were released in the early evening. This according to the health agency of Hildalgo spokesperson Jose Antionio Copca. When the men were released they were interrogated by authorities, who were trying to track down the people responsible for the theft of the substance that was believed to be radioactive, cobalt-60.
A spokesperson for the office of the Attorney General, Jose Luis Majarrez, said that only one of the men showed symptoms of radiation poisoning even though they lived near the dangerous material. The symptoms that person experienced include nausea, headaches and other symptoms. Federal police took them to Pachuca General. On Friday, Copca told Notimex News that the three men who had been picked up, had come in contact with the truck, which was stolen on Monday. They ranged in ages from 16 to 38 years old. Authorities said that they recovered all of the radioactive material, but authorities haven’t been clear as to who is responsible for the theft, or to what extent these men were involved. They haven’t even said that they have identified the persons responsible.
The vehicle, and most of the missing element that had been used for medical reasons, was found in Hueypoxtla, which is around twenty-five miles from where it was stolen. The truck was transporting the materials that was radioactive waste from a hospital in Tijuana, to a waste storage facility. The container with the cobalt-60 was found about half a mile from the truck, and the container had been opened. There was about 40 grams of the potential fatal substance inside of the containers. Officials said that residents are not at risk for any radiation poisoning unless they came into physical contact with the substance.
