‘Only owner knows the source of scrap’

While Jain continues to be critical,the others — workers dealing in scrap at his shop — are admitted in AIIMS

The market association,meanwhile,kept all shops closed on Saturday and appealed the government to provide help and other facilities to Jain and the others undergoing treatment.

Hemraj,president of the market association,said,“We will meet Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit tomorrow (Sunday) and appeal for assistance to the victims.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Aggarwal today said the police are yet make any breakthrough in the case. “We have questioned four workers from the shop who are admitted in AIIMS but they claim they don’t know anything about where the material came from. “They said only Jain knows the details.”

Hemraj also said only the owners usually know the source of material arriving at their shops. “We,scrap dealers,do not disclose the source to anyone,primarily to remain ahead of the competition,” he said. “So it is unlikely that anyone but Jain would know where the radioactive material came from.”

While Jain had earlier suffered burns and his skin went black due to exposure to radioactive substances,four others working at his shop suffered burn-like injuries on Thursday. A fifth person,also from the Mayapuri area,was admitted in AIIMS with symptoms of radiation exposure.

Those admitted in AIIMS are identified as Ram Jiwan,Ram Kalap,Rajinder,Himanshu Jain,and Gorakh. Hemraj said most material in the scrap market,said to be the largest such market in Asia,comes from auctions called by different government agencies and departments. “The agencies concerned should ensure that the scrap they sell is free of radioactive and other such dangerous substances,” he said.

Vinod Goyal,a member of the market association,also said though there are other ways of procuring scrap,the usual way is through government auctions. “We check,usually with bare hands,everything we buy. So it becomes the duty of the department concerned to ensure that scrap they put up for auction do not have any such content,” Goyal said.

Giving an instance,he said radioactive material is used in some aircraft but are removed before the scrap is sold.

Neeraj Jain,another dealer in scrap from the market,said some shopowners also buy from private sources.

Experts from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Narora atomic power station had collected at least eight pieces of Cobalt-60 from Jain’s shop and godown on Friday. The seized material were sent to the Narora plant for further examination.

Officials from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had on Thursday night informed the police about the illness due to suspected exposure to radioactive substances. The AERB had earlier been informed about Jain’s case by doctors at Apollo Hospital,after the scrap dealer was admitted.

The police had registered a case of negligence under IPC Section 336 at Mayapuri station on Friday.

Jain’s family members have said he first noticed problems on his skin on March 21 and consulted a local nursing homes. Jain’s cousin Rajesh said he then went to Ganga Ram Hospital before going to AIIMS and finally being admitted at Apollo on April 4,after he fell unconscious. Jain resides in Uttam Nagar,West Delhi — his parents,wife Kusum and son Parth,1,stay with him.

‘Owner hit Cobalt-60,activated it unwittingly’

Deepak Jain was most likely trying to find out what the Cobalt-60 radioactive material piece was when he hit it with a rod,and unwittingly got it activated,an officer close to the probe said on Saturday.

The Cobalt-60 was fixed inside a metal pipe that came to Jain’s shop along with a consignment of scrap he had reportedly bought about 20 days ago. Jain reportedly got an electric shock from a Cobalt-60 piece while trying to break the metal pipe.

“The Cobalt-60 piece first found from the shop was of the size of a wrist watch,” the officer said. “We suspect Jain tried to find out what it is and probably hit it with iron rod,due to which it got activated.” According to the officer,the piece also had some sort of a magnetic effect and Jain initially took if for a magnet.

— MOHIT SHARMA

AERB: Our probe may help cops

MUMBAI: Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Saturday said its probe into the source of Cobalt-60 pieces,which caused radiation in Mayapuri that injured six persons,may help Delhi Police trace the route through which they came into the scrap shop.

“Investigations are now in progress to ascertain the source of radioactive Cobalt-60,recovered from scrap in a shop in Mayapuri,” S A Hussain,head of radiological safety division of AERB,said.

He said AERB’s investigations to identify the source of Cobalt-60 pieces could help Delhi Police find out the route through which they came into the metal scrap market. Cobalt-60 is used in industrial applications such as industrial radiography cameras,nucleonic gauges for thickness measurement and in well-logging operations,and in medical equipment (blood irradiators and radiotherapy units,among others).

Hussain said facilities and equipment that use Cobalt-60 are required to be individually licensed or authorised by AERB. Besides,replacement of Cobalt-60 in these facilities or equipment needs AERB consent,which is granted on the basis that the used material is returned safely to its original supplier,Hussain said.

In India,Cobalt-60 is supplied by the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology and is imported under strict licensing process.

PTI