Do not collect, dismantle or sell unidentified metal parts; stay away from radiation trefoil signs
Radiation has no smell, color or temperature, and many sources look like ordinary metal. Appearance cannot establish safety. Encounters are extremely rare—fewer than one incident annually per 10,000 sources—but the consequences can be irreversible. In Brazil in 1987, people dismantled an abandoned clinic's radiotherapy equipment as scrap; four people died.
What it takes
Free. Leave unfamiliar metal cylinders, lead containers and dismantled equipment parts alone; do not open them, pick them up or put them in a pocket.
What you may gain
As of 2025, China had about 178,000 radioactive sources in use and 355,000 radiation-emitting devices or systems. Annual source-related incident rates remained below 1 per 10,000 sources. Under China's classification, loss, theft or loss of control of category I or II sources constitutes a major radiation incident; category III incidents are serious; loss or theft of category IV or V sources, or exposure above annual dose limits, constitutes a general incident. In June 2020, during gamma-ray inspection for a blast-furnace pipe renovation at Ningxia Iron and Steel Group, a category II iridium-192 source exposed three workers. One suffered grade III acute radiation injury to the left hand; another grade IV injuries to the left thumb and index finger and grade III to the other three fingers; the third grade I–II injury to the left hand. All received doses far above national limits. The two responsible organizations lost their radiation-safety licenses and were fined RMB 70,000. In Goiânia, Brazil, in 1987, dismantling an abandoned clinic's teletherapy unit exposed a 50.8 TBq cesium-137 source and ruptured its sealed capsule. About 112,000 people were monitored; 249 had internal or external contamination, including 129 with moderate-to-severe contamination and 50 requiring close medical surveillance. Four died. These are Chinese national and international examples.
Context & considerations
If you encounter a suspected source, keep away, remember the location, leave it in place and, in China, call 110. Chinese regulations require reporting to ecology/environment, police and health authorities. The source emphasizes distance and limiting exposure time; a pocket or plastic bag offers no protection. X-ray and CT machines generate radiation electrically and do not remain radioactive when switched off. A sealed radioactive source inside equipment is different: radiotherapy machines, gamma inspection units for pipes and boilers, well-logging tools and level gauges can contain one. Opening the casing exposes it, and its appearance may be indistinguishable from ordinary metal. Do not rely on identifying sources by sight; do not dismantle, sell or take home equipment parts of unknown origin. Scrap collectors, dismantlers, metalworkers and construction workers face substantially higher exposure risk; avoid cordoned areas bearing a trefoil symbol. Nuclear-plant releases are a different and even less likely event for an ordinary person. The main beneficiaries of this precaution are you and family members nearby.
Research & references
Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (2025). 2024 Report on the State of the Ecology and Environment in China. https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/sthjjcgl/hjzljcypj/202506/t20250605_1120773.shtml ; National Nuclear Safety Administration of China (2026). Results of nuclear and radiation safety regulation in China in 2025. https://nnsa.mee.gov.cn/tpxw/202601/t20260107_1140062.html ; Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (2021). Notification of enforcement in a radiation accident caused by unlawful gamma-ray inspection work. https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk06/202101/t20210121_818216.html ; State Council of China (2019). Regulations on the Safety and Protection of Radioisotopes and Radiation-emitting Devices, 2019 revision, Articles 34, 42 and 68. https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/xzfg/201909/t20190918_734315.shtml ; Ministry of Environmental Protection of China (2009). Notice establishing a graded handling and reporting system for radioisotope and radiation-device incidents, including classification standards. https://www.mee.gov.cn/gkml/zj/wj/200910/t20091022_172414.htm ; International Atomic Energy Agency (1988). The Radiological Accident in Goiânia. IAEA, Vienna. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf