Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near the country’s southern town of Zubair.<br /><br /> It is not clear how the material, which is owned by Swiss inspections group SGS, ended up being left in a petrol station.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Missing #radioactive material found dumped in south #Iraq, #Zubair https://t.co/COYo0n77G9— Bephru (@bephru) February 21, 2016<br /> <br /><br /> The town is 15km southwest of the city of Basra.<br /><br /> Officials say the find has ended speculation that it had been acquired by extremists to be used to fabricate a weapon.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Missing radioactive material in #Iraq found #gasstation #Zubair https://t.co/DW9FrqaY27 pic.twitter.com/hHovRLW2oX— Trending Iraq News (@Iraqolizer) February 21, 2016<br /> <br /><br /> Officials think the device was stolen and then dumped when they were unable to sell it on.<br /><br /> “They may have heard that everyone was looking for it and decided to get it off their hands,” said Nash’at Saqban al-Maksosi, Chief Planning Officer of Basra Council. <br /><br /> “They may have stolen the material for use for other purposes but could not get it out of Basra and so they dumped it.”<br /><br /> <br /><br /> The material was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer. It was undamaged and there are no concerns about radiation contamination.<br /><br /> The authorities say the consignment went missing in November from a storage facility near Basra belonging to US oilfield services company Weatherford.<br /><br /> It is owned by Swiss inspections group, SGS.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Gamma rays<br /> <br /><br /> Iraqi media posted several pictures of the radioactive material initially missing/now found near Basra #Iraq pic.twitter.com/K7gaEQzO83— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 21, 2016<br /> The material uses gamma rays to test for flaws in components of oil and gas pipelines.<br /><br /> The process is called industrial gamma radiography.<br /><br /> The IAEA classes it as as Category 2 radioactive source. <br /><br /> This means if it is not managed properly, it could cause permanent injury to anyone in close proximity.<br /><br /> Exposure can be fatal if it extends over a period of hours or days.В Ираке нашли пропавшие в прошлом году опасные радиоактивные материалы. Специалисты говорят, что они не... <br /> <br />В Іраку повідомили, що знайшли радіоактивні матеріали, які зникли три місяці тому зі сховища на півдні краї... <br /> <br />دولت عراق روز یکشنبه از پیدا شدن مواد رادیواکتیوی که سال گذشته در این کشور ناپدید شده بودند خبر داد. بنا بر... <br /> <br />Radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near the country's southern town of Zubair. It is not clear how the material, which is ... <br /> <br />عثرت السلطات العراقية على مادة مشعة ملقاة قرب محطة للوقود جنوب البلاد كانت قد فقدت قبل ثلاث
