Authorities are currently searching for the device, which is owned by local construction inspection company KAKS and Company LLC. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the device, a portable nuclear meter, is often used on construction sites to “evaluate the properties of building and paving materials.” However, people could be exposed to radioactive contamination if damaged or mishandled, the service warned. He said the nuclear density meter was safely stored inside a vehicle that was reported to have been stolen in Philadelphia. When the vehicle was found, the meter was missing. The agency said there was a “possibility of damage to the radioactive source and the spread of contamination” if the sealed sources of radioactive material in the device were severely damaged or hit by a vehicle. David Allard, director of the Office of Radiation Protection, said in a statement: “It is crucial for anyone with information about a missing nuclear meter to contact the local authorities or the DEP. “As long as the device has not been tampered with or damaged, it does not pose a risk to public safety.” Sky News’s NBC News subsidiary said environmental authorities believe the meter may have been damaged after the vehicle was stolen, so officials are urging anyone who encounters the device not to use it and contact authorities to allow trained person to retrieve it. Exposure to low levels of radiation may not pose an immediate health risk, but it may cause a small increase in cancer risk over a lifetime, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. High levels of radiation exposure in a short time can cause nausea and vomiting.
