Nuclear specialists declare Delhi University safe - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Nuclear specialists have declared Delhi University safe after inspecting the radioactive material storage room. Experts from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) began their scrutiny of the room in the physics department premises on Saturday afternoon to measure radioactivity leaks. "How many radioactive substances are in use and what is their condition. We inspected that they are alright. Those, which were not alright, we rectified them. There are sources (radioactive substance), which didn't have leveling so the leveling of the sources has been done," said Raju Kumar, a nuclear expert. "There is no concern regarding radioactivity safety point of view," he added. A professor refuted newspaper reports that the varsity buried radioactive material on its campus. "So far they are rumours unless they are proved. I don't know. The scientific people have come; hopefully some people will be coming from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Our colleagues are cooperating with them. It is actually good for us, if we discover something," said D.S. Kulshreshtha, Head of the Department of Physics, Delhi University . Delhi University came under the scanner, after radioactive Cobalt-60 was found in a West Delhi scrap market and was traced to its chemistry department. Reportedly over 11 people were hospitalized following the radiation leak in the Mayapuri scrap market and one of them died. Thirty-five year old Rajender, a worker in the Mayapuri scrap market, was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on April 13, and died of multiple organ failure on April 26. It is reported that the Mayapuri scrap dealers dismantled the equipment and in the process, the lead covering on it was peeled off leading to radiation exposure. Ten sources of Cobalt-60 were discovered in the market. Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope of cobalt, which is a hard, lustrous, grey metal. It is used in cancer therapy machines and other medical equipment.