German steel shipment from India raises concerns

German steel shipment from India raises concerns Germany is investigating a shipment of steel products from India that is said to be contaminated with radioactivity, various news outlets are reporting.
   The issue first appeared in a report Monday in German news magazine Der Spiegel, which said that 150-ton of steel exports brought in the through the Port of Hamburg in August were at risk. The most serious case, the magazine reported, was five tons of stainless steel wool that had to be disposed of by a nuclear waste company.
   The contamination might be the result of the radioactive isotope cobalt 60, which is used in nuclear medicine, being inadvertently mixed with steel scrap and being melted down at three Indian steel works, news outlets reported. Investigators have also traced contaminated steel valves, castings, stainless-steel rope, machine parts and steel shavings in 12 of Germany’s 16 states, but most of the parts were not inherently dangerous, with radioactivity below the safety limits.
   The parts have been confiscated by authorities, but the next step is not known. The report didn't specify the manufacturers, cargo owners or carriers involved in the shipment.