Loose Nuke Diplomacy

Samples of radioactive cobalt-60 isotope cast a blue glow from underneath deep water. (click here)

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD and RICK GLADSTONE

Published: December 4, 2013

MEXICO CITY — A truck stolen near Mexico City (click here) with a load of a dangerous radioactive isotope used for medical purposes was found on Wednesday by the police after a two-day search, but some of the cargo was missing, a senior nuclear-safety official said....

The First World needs to secure these dangerous commodities from the Third World. Knowing Mexico the most dangerous scenario would be if the drug cartels got their hands on the Cobalt. But, they would have to have suits and the ability to handle it and I doubt they would. Not in time enough to know what they actually had without killing everyone in the neighborhood.

Now that the word is out, there will be incentive to find any loose material. But, to PREVENT this, the First World needs to take custody of radioactive material for disposal in a secure site.

This started in Tijuana and the shortest distance to a safe site was north to the USA and not southwest to the Yucatan. There needs to be policies with Third World nations having these capacities to secure this material. If the material was secured and removed by a First World nation, this would not be a problem. First World nations could afford security and equipment in the kind of condition that would prevent such problems. 

People have died in Mexico because they were naive. There is a lot of incentive for Third World nations and any other country that feels compromised with the need for such security, to have allies and friends that can prevent such a very preventable tragedy. Sorry to hear this happened.

I would expect any First World nation volunteering to help would be responsible for the cost without burdening another nation that struggles to help it's people.