According to a report by news magazine Der Spiegel German authorities have discovered more than 150 tonnes of radioactive metal imported from foundries in India in 12 federal states. According to the newsweekly, the material bearing traces of Cobalt-60 came from three Indian foundries. Citing an internal memo from the federal environment ministry, the magazine reported that some 5 tonnes of high grade steel shavings exceeded the legally allowed contamination limits so greatly that they had to be handed over to the Association of Nuclear Service, which is responsible for the disposal of waste from nuclear power plants. The report said the first contaminated delivery was discovered in 2008 in a container full of high-grade steel bars at the Hamburg port. The steel products had been confiscated, the magazine said, but negotiations were still under way on what to do next. The magazine quoted unnamed experts from the environment ministry saying the affair has a huge dimension. A spokeswoman from the German environment ministry on Saturday confirmed the report but played down the severity of the incidents. She said that “You can not really speak of a dramatic situation. But we’re taking the problem very seriously also because it has significant economic ramifications for the affected companies.” It said in a statement on Sunday that “The material posed no environmental or health threat and added that no consumer products in Germany were affected. Most of the steel deliveries contain contamination levels below the legally allowed limits.” Radioactive products from India were also discovered last year in France, Netherlands and Sweden.
×
