Across China: Shaanxi

Radioactive ball lost

A cement plant in Northwest China's Shaanxi province has lost the radioactive component of a nuclear scale used for measuring production materials, local government said yesterday. The lead ball contains Caesium-137, a component in a highly-specialized nuclear scale used to make precise measurements. It was lost Monday as workers disassembled the 53-year-old production facilities at Shaanxi Qinling Cement Co in Tongchuan city after it failed to meet environmental protection standards. The device might be sold as scrap steel to waste collectors.