Cobalt-60 Front Page Story Removed from Southern Metropolis Daily
Danwei looks at a report that was taken off the front page of Southern Metropolis Daily about an accident that exposed radioactive Cobalt-60 for 48 days in Panyu:
The report described how a cobalt-60 source at the Guangzhou Research & Development Center for Irradiation Technology remained exposed for 48 days after getting stuck on October 12. A robot finally cleared the obstruction and returned the radioactive material to its shielded container on November 28.
When the accident occurred, authorities paired a need for transparency with the requirement that the government be the sole source of information about the situation as a way of avoiding a repeat of the cobalt-60 panic that struck Qixian, Henan earlier this year.
It now seems like the government did its rumor-quashing job too well: the public was utterly unaware of the situation, something that has locals fuming.
