Nuclear Alert Detector Set Of By Radiation Therapy Patient

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the how-about-that dept

Uber-Review writes “Is that a fuel rod in your pocket … A man who recently had received radiation treatment for a medical condition set off a nuclear alert detector on a fire engine, prompting police to close down a roadway in Escondido while authorities searched for a nuclear weapon.The Fire crew’s radiation monitor sounded Tuesday when the man and his friend walked past the crew on their way to fill a gas can.

The Nuke Alert monitor sounded again as the men walked back to their vehicle. Firefighters notified the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department after they drove by the men’s vehicle and the monitor sounded a third time. Sheriff’s deputies pulled over the driver and detained him and his passenger for about one hour while they confirmed that the man was not carrying a nuclear weapon and that he had received radiation treatment. The radiation monitor was purchased with Homeland Defense Department grant money.”