World News
US and Guatemala secure and transfer radioactive medical material to prevent dirty bomb risk
American and Guatemalan authorities removed a disused cobalt-60 source to eliminate national security risks.
The short version
- U.S. and Guatemalan agencies collaborated to extract a cobalt-60 radioactive component from an unused medical teletherapy device in Guatemala.
- The material was transported to a secure facility in the United States to prevent potential theft or misuse in a radiological weapon.
- The multi-agency joint operation began in May and concluded with transport coordinated by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Key facts
- The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced that teams extracted a cobalt-60 source from a disused medical device in Guatemala and transferred it to secure U.S. storage.[Fox News]
- The removal effort began in May and involved specialists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory alongside Guatemalan energy and security authorities.[Fox News]
- The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency provided the secure transport of the packaged radioactive material back to the United States.[Fox News]
- U.S. officials stated the operation aligns with the 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy to prevent non-state actors and adversaries from acquiring radiological materials.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- The exact secure location where the material is being stored in the United States was not disclosed.[Fox News]