Missing Iridium retrieved in E China

A missing radioactive source of Iridium was retrieved at about 6:05 pm Saturday in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, CCTV reported.

Earlier in the day, the Iridium-192 was narrowed to within a radius of 2 kilometers, three days after it went missing when Tianjin Hongdi Engineering Testing Co was carrying out tests at the Fifth Construction Company of China's oil refiner Sinopec on May 7.

Local authorities have taken measures to cordon off the area to ensure local residents' safety. Equipment was been sent to search for the Iridium-192, which is about the size of a soybean.

Ten workers clad in radiation resistant suits joined the search for the Iridium-192, one after the other. Each worker was allowed no more than three minutes at a time, in a bid to avoid long exposure to the radiation.

Iridium-192 is a highly radioactive source and potentially harmful – contact can even result in death - if not handled professionally.

Authorities are taking safety precautions and are also keeping people who were in close proximity to the substance under close medical observation.