Radioactive stuff missing in Malaysia? Here’s how likely it is to be used by terrorists.

So the big news yesterday was that an Industrial Radiography Equipment containing the radioactive substances went missing 7 days ago, and that the police and the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) are now concerned that someone might use the radioactive material to create explosives (!).

Now in case you haven’t actually read about it, we’re sorry if you got a heart attack from the above sentence. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened:

So yes, there’s radioactive material somewhere out there and there are two possible worst case scenarios. Someone who doesn’t know what it is may find the device and open it, accidentally causing mass exposure to radioactive stuff. The second and arguably scarier possibility is that the radioactive stuff may be used… for a dirty bomb.

Wait so wtfbbqptptn, is Malaysia about to be blown up? Are we about to begin life in an apocalyptic nuclear wasteland?!

Dirty bombs are NOT the same as nuclear bombs and… aren’t really used to kill people?!

Okay hold up before yall start running around town panicking and buying hazmat suits, you should firstly know that the radio active stuff that’s currently missing won’t be turned into a nuclear bomb laa okay… It can only be turned into a dirty bomb, which is different from a normal nuclear bomb.

A nuclear bomb works thru a lot of super complex nuclear-fission reactions. Incidents such as Hiroshima have pretty much told us that it’s very much a weapon of mass destruction. And… that’s pretty much all we can say as Cilisos does not currently employ a physicist. But, and here’s the critical part, dirty bombs don’t have any sort of nuclear-slash-atomic reaction going on whatsoever. Yaaaay!

Instead, a dirty bomb refers to a normal bomb made with normal explosives (think C4) packed along with radioactive materials. So on top of the big boom that may kill and injure people, you now also have to deal with airborne radioactive material that can be dangerous to people (that’s why it’s ‘dirty’). And because of the possibility of causing radioactive fallout, while not massively destructive, it’s still considered a weapon of mass disruption due to the mass panic and health crisis that’ll happen after explosion.

Yep, a dirty bomb’s main goal isn’t actually to destroy, but to create chaos… you can start running around in fear now.

“The explosive itself would be more harmful than the radioactive material. However, (a dirty bomb) could create fear and panic, contaminate property, and require potentially costly cleanup,” – United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

It’s pretty understood by why people may start panicking when a dirty bomb goes off or indeed if there’s even a minor risk of radiation, as the risk of cancer for example is definitely there. That being said, even tho coal burning is just as bad or perhaps even worse than the possible fallout of a dirty bomb, you won’t find people attempting to scare the public by burning coal. That’s because a dirty bomb remains a constant threat to national security for any country, cos it can cause mass panic in the country which in turn can affect the local economy and spark a health crisis.

There is some good news tho: there’s never been a dirty bomb used before. You may have seen it being used on TV or in video games, but as for real life? Nope, never.

Buuuut, it’s not because it’s hard to get the radioactive stuff laa, because actually….

It’s kinda easy to get dirty bomb material in Malaysia

The radioactive material that went missing – iridium-192 – is actually a fairly commonplace material in Malaysia. The company that ‘lost’ the device containing the iridium is reportedly involved in the oil and gas industry, and that makes sense, as one main use for radioactive iridium is in machines that test metals.

The oil and gas industry needs these machines to test the strength of the steel that they use, and with oil and gas being a major part of our economy, it’s no surprise then that we have iridium-192 laying around. In fact, you could even find it in hospitals, as the same substance is used for treating cancer.

On top of that, this isn’t even the first time radioactive iridium has gone missing in Malaysia before! As it turns out, according to our IGP Mohamad Fuzi, we had a similar case of the disappearing iridium just last year. However, you also won’t have to worry about that either, as the Malaysian Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) successfully retrieved the radioactive stuff that time round. They even brought in some special equipment to just to find it.

If you’ve heard of the AELB and know what they do, then congratulations, that makes one of us. But for those of you who have no idea what ABCD LGBT AELB do, they’re basically the people in charge of atomic energy and matters. They pretty much assist the govt with nuclear-related stuff, so like you know, when some possibly harmful radioactive iridium-192 goes missing, they step in laa.

Altho, usually their job scope isn’t that exciting. Most of the time, their main job is to give out licenses to companies who deal with radioactive stuff, such as the company who lost the machine that had the radioactive iridium inside it. They’ve handed out over 2000 licenses since their inception, including the controversial Lynas plant. Furthermore, the AELB also check on the health and safety of the workers who deal with the radioactive stuff hands-on, while also ensuring radioactive waste gets disposed of properly.

As for our own wellbeing…

What can be done to make us feel safer?

Well, seeing how the main goal of a dirty bomb is to create panic, it’s perhaps crucial to not do the job for the bomb beforehand laa. It’s important to not spread rumours and fake news about the possible effects of a dirty bomb going off. That means telling your second grandaunt on your father’s side to not share that Whatsapp message about the missing iridium being able to mutate your pet turtle into a crimefighting ninja.

In fact, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, just cos you’re near a radioactive source for a while or if you get a smol amount of radioactive gunk on you doesn’t mean you’ll end up with cancer. However, in the event a dirty bomb goes off *toucheswood*, the AELB has stated before that we’re more than ready to handle it. Not only in the event of a dirty bomb, but also if there are any chemical or biological attack too. Meanwhile, the police have also come out to state that while the missing iridium is a worry, they strongly believe it has nothing to do with terrorism. 

If you may have inadvertently been exposed to the radioactive substance, you may experience dizziness, nausea, vomiting and surface burns. Also, if you see some brightly coloured box with hazard warnings on it, yeah don’t touch it laa kay. Anyone of you with information can contact the local police station or contact the investigating officer ASP Yong Meng Heng at 019-5753399.

Co-written by Chak and Raymond