Is India the dumping ground of radioactive wastes?

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5679605-is-india-the-dumping-g...

New Delhi : India | Apr 25, 2010 at 5:06 AM PDT
By prabirghose

Large amounts of radio active material have resulted in serious injuries to at least eight persons associate with the Mayapuri scrap yard in New Delhi – their platelet counts have gone to a dangerous low and the bone marrows have dried up. This has created panic in the waste dumping yards of Mayapuri in New Delhi and surrounding areas and has raised some very pertinent questions. The dangerous situation has been caused by Cobalt-60 which is used extensively in industrial radiography, medical radiology, large food processing units and laboratories. The Cobalt-60 emits gamma rays which causes burns in the skin and cancer. Nearly 4000 tonnes of junk material enter India every day but there is no suitable mechanism in place at the points of entry to identify radio active material in these wastes. The Mayapuri scrap yard is under the control of the BARC but neither it nor the Department of Atomic Energy nor the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has any control on the material that is shipped into the country.