Missing baggage? Alert lifted after missing radioactive package found at Madrid airport

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) reported that a transport package containing four radioactive selenium-75 sources, which had been lost, has been located "in perfect condition." The discovery was made at the cargo terminal of Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, according to EL PAÍS.

The package, identified as a B(U) type container model NE4C, had been missing after its expected arrival from Prague. "The holder of the facility to which the package was directed notified the CSN that it had been located and that it should have been delivered last Friday from Prague," a CSN statement cited by EL PAÍS indicated.

Prior to its recovery, the disappearance of the package had raised concerns due to the nature of its contents. The transport package housed four encapsulated radioactive sources of selenium-75 (Se-75), a radioactive isotope with applications in the field of industrial radiography, as reported by Diario AS. The CSN had sent a team of three inspectors to Barajas Airport to verify whether the package had arrived and to gather more details about the incident, according to La Vanguardia.

The radioactive sources are classified as category 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where 5 is the least dangerous category. Category 2 is considered "very dangerous to humans" due to radiological risks if the sources are no longer protected by their shielding, according to information from Levante-EMV.

In response to the missing package, the CSN had issued a statement emphasizing the importance of safety precautions. "As long as they remain housed within the transport package, they pose no danger whatsoever," the CSN noted, as reported by Levante-EMV. The organization recommended that anyone who located the package should avoid handling it and immediately notify the authorities, police, and emergency call service, as detailed by El Confidencial.

The package was appropriately labeled to indicate its contents. Both the suitcase and the equipment bore the corresponding signage: a trefoil symbol and the legend "Radioactive," according to Marca. This labeling is standard procedure to alert handlers and authorities to the presence of radioactive material and to ensure proper safety protocols are followed.

Sources from Aena, Spain's airport operator, stated that the package was located in the cargo terminal, isolated from the infrastructure dedicated to travelers. It was assumed that its transport is subject to protocols, as mentioned by EL PAÍS. Despite concerns, it was not necessary to evacuate any of the passenger terminals, and normal airport operations continued without disruption.

An alarm had been raised from the National Security Center regarding the missing package, according to EL PAÍS.

The initial uncertainty about the package's whereabouts stemmed from doubts over whether it had arrived at its final destination in Madrid. Observador reported that in the late afternoon, the CSN issued an alert due to the loss of the package and indicated that the capsules were properly sealed.

The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.