UNDT CONTRACTS!!!!! September 19, 2012 - Times of Malta - Radioactive material scanners at Freeport - Fixed scanners have been installed at the Malta Freeport to weed out containers carrying illegal, radio-active substances. The equipment was donated by the US government under the Megaports programme aimed at stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons and radioactive material. All containers bound for the domestic market and half of those passing through the Freeport on a transhipment basis will be scanned. The equipment has been functioning since July and was inaugurated yesterday in the presence of Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and US Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley. It comes with a three-year maintenance agreement, does not interfere with the efficient running of port operations and complements other portable scanning equipment already in use by the Freeport. The scanners pose no harm to the drivers and officials operating them. Customs officials explained that when an alert was raised on their computer system, a decision had to be made on what further action was needed.
September 18, 2012 - DIY Week - Radioactive kitchenware boosts fears over hazardous imports - The confirmation on Friday that a shipment of stainless steel and aluminium kitchenware made in India was radioactive has heightened concerns over the integrity of the materials used in a range of imported consumer goods. Port authorities in Colombo, Sri Lanka, detected radiation emitting from the shipment, and subsequent testing last week by the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority found that the products contained cobalt 60 - an extremely dangerous artificial radioactive element used in radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. The AEA has now ordered the 40ft container-load of domestic and professional kitchenware to be sent back to India, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has been notified. The problem of radioactivity being found in everyday consumer products is not a new one. In recent years authorities in countries around the world have been detecting radiation in everything from pet bowls and sinks to hand tools, cutlery and even lift buttons. Indian-made products are the worst offenders, followed by products from China. The hazard occurs when waste industrial, mining and medical equipment containing nuclear material is improperly disposed of and recycled for manufacture into new goods. India in particular has a huge business in processing scrap metals, which it imports from all over the world, but it is poorly monitored for safety.