The canister containing radioactive material which disappeared from the Irish Ispat steel plant in Cobh after last Monday's fire is still missing, according to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) - despite earlier assurances that it had been found.
In a statement last night the RPII said:
"Regrettably, this information was incorrect. While a canister was found which was similar to that which held the missing radiation source, it later transpired that it was not in fact the one which contained the source. The missing source has not yet been found. A further search of the laboratory is scheduled to take place early next week.
"The canister in question contains a caesium-137 check source and it is used to check that radiation detectors in use at the plant are working correctly.
"The activity level of the source is 3,700 Bq (becquerels), which is below the limit of 10,000 Bq at which a licence would be required for a caesium-137 source."