Finding a radioactive material in an Egyptian village
Egypt, Health, 6/28/2000

The Egyptian government found radioactive material inside the house of a farmer in the village Meet Halfa, 15 kilometers north Cairo, due to which the farmer and eldest child were killed while members of the family had skin eruption.

The symptoms appeared nearly a year ago when the family thought that the material was a precious metal.

Egyptian information minister Safwat Sharif said that the chemical war division in the armed forces seperated the radioactive source from the wrap which it was in by using special technological equipment, and they found that the radioactive source was in the shape of a thin disk of 6 centimeter and 3-5 millimeters wide.

Through the check that was made by the atomic power, it was found out that it is a radioactive needle that is used in radiation discovery equipment, adding that the radioactive source is now at the atomic energy organization and there is no further danger to the farmer's house.

The Egyptian health ministry took samples from nearly 160 citizens who live near this family's house to analyze it.

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