The discovery of an unidentified substance yesterday in a box with a radioactive warning sticker sent social media into meltdown.
Officials initially thought the substance found on Soi Paholyothin 24 and sealed in a small metal box was radioactive cobalt-60.
The discovery of the radioactive substance soon spread on social media and people were either scared or made a joke of it.
“So before they found it it leaked, how many minutes/ hours/ days has it been? That’s scary,” Wirinta Jankaew.
“No need to panic. They will clear out the area in time. Aren’t you used to it? Anything can happen in Thailand,” wrote Sanya Prasongchareon
“Someone is going to turn into a superhero,” Tiaboki wrote.
“Quickly move it to the parliament. It’s the safest place there is,” wrote Sompoth Jaisarn
Police and Office of Atoms for Peace finally concluded that it was iridium-192, a radioactive isotope, and there was no trace of radioactive leakage at the scene.
The building on Soi Paholyothin 24 is currently undergoing renovation and was reportedly previously leased to a South Korean company.
Iridium-192 is used in gamma ray photography and to detect pipe cracks or leakages and the International Atomic Energy Agency defines iridium-192 as a category two radioactive substance, meaning it can kill people in close proximity to it within hours to days, reported the Nation.
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