Radioactive material disappeared New Jersey earlier this month, promoting conspiracy theories that could be linked to mysterious drone sightings.
A medical device used for cancer testing was imported from Nazha Cancer Center in Newfield on December 2 to be removed, but ‘the shipping container arrived damaged and empty.’
This device is known as a ‘pin source’ which contains a small amount of radiation to ensure the accuracy of the scanner. If handled without proper equipment, it can cause poisoning.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Category 3 warning for the missing shipment, meaning it could cause permanent harm.
The danger with the disposal of radioactive material is that it can be used to make bombs.
But experts say that actors can use powerful tools to do this.
The shortage of medical equipment has led many on social media to speculate that the drones flying in New Jersey may be the government’s attempt to do so. ‘leaking out’ radioactive material.
John Ferguson, CEO of Saxon Aerospace, a drone manufacturer in Kansashe said that the only reason drones fly at night is because they are ‘looking for something.’
This device is known as a ‘pin source’ which contains a small amount of radiation to ensure the accuracy of the scanner. If handled without proper equipment, it can cause poisoning
Missing medical equipment has led many on social media to speculate that the drones flying in New Jersey may be the government trying to ‘leak out’ radioactive materials.
‘My guess is that these drones are not wrong on purpose. If he is, he is, but I doubt it,” Ferguson said in a TikTok video.
‘But if they’re flying planes, the only reason they’re flying, and flying so low, is because they’re trying to smell something on the ground.’
Incidents of radioactive material shortages in the US are rare and usually have limited industrial or medical uses.
The most recent was in 2023 when the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas reported that 10 radioactive seeds used in breast cancer tests were stolen.
A previous incident occurred in 2021 when a radioactive nuclear reactor was reported missing in Durham, North Carolina.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated in 2020 that the most common reason for the theft of radioactive materials is ‘smuggling or misuse.’
Abel Gonzalez, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency division of Radiation said: “When radioactive sources are used for research – especially in nuclear medicine processes – the amount of radioactivity used is small and does not present a risk of security.
‘However, there are growing fears that radioactive sources could be turned into a terrorist weapon – a (sometimes called) ‘dirty bomb.’
The missing material in New Jersey contained an average of 0.267 millicuries (mCi).
The average person receives 2-3 millisieverts (mSv) per year from natural sources such as the sun.
A source that emits 0.267 mCi can emit radiation levels equivalent to several days of background radiation, which can cause breathing problems, nausea or vomiting and a higher risk of cancer in the future.
The report comes amid speculation that drones in New Jersey are ‘sniffers’ looking for gamma rays from the ground. But officials did not confirm the claims
But there’s also the possibility that the radioactive material that went missing in New Jersey was damaged in transit or that the person who took it didn’t know what it was.
Ferguson admitted in his video that he had no confirmation of this and was only offering his opinion – along with hundreds of drone stakeholders and the community.
Ferguson’s company, Saxon Unmanned, describes itself as ‘a manufacturer of long-endurance, long-distance aerial systems with over 25 years of experience in developing solutions for international and maritime operations.’
He is a veteran who claims more than 25 years of experience in his field.
Ferguson’s proposal comes after a day of political protests trying to quell fears about drones.
Podcaster Joe Rogan also shared the video saying: ‘This is the first video about these drones that has really impressed me.’
The White House did not touch on anything about sniffer drones during several of its briefings last week.
National Security Communication Advisor John Kirby has stressed that what he sees is not a ‘national security or public safety threat’, and International Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he knows there is ‘no international involvement.’
But the lack of clarity has led to fierce criticism from some lawmakers about drones. continue to appear on critical sitesand panic spread when the mayor of New Jersey revealed that his fire department had been told to wear hazmat suits in case the flying objects fell.
Reports of drones in New Jersey began in mid-November with sightings of military sites and the path of Donald Trump.
Sen. Jon Bramnick called for a state of emergency over what he said was lack of government transparency in sightings of unidentified aircraft.
“Whatever these drones are doing, the government doesn’t want us to know,” he told NewsNation on Saturday, urging the DoD to “come clean with the American people” following revelations since November.
“There must be something they’re not telling us because they’re afraid of what people will do when they hear about what the drones are doing,” the Republican senator said.
During a congressional hearing last Tuesday, Robert Wheeler, the FBI’s assistant director, said the agency had received more than 3,000 reports of drone sightings in a week.
‘The agency is investigating your alleged, unexplained drone activity in New Jersey, including close to critical areas and affected areas,’ he said.
‘We are not saying this is a person or a group. We are investigating, but I don’t have an answer as to who is responsible for this – whether one or more people are responsible for the drone flights. But we are investigating quickly.’
The Department of Defense (DOD) said Saturday that the FBI line is now with them received 5,000 reports and less than 100 leads ‘it was deemed appropriate to continue the investigation.’
‘We don’t know what the job is. We don’t know if it’s malicious or criminal, but I can tell you it’s irresponsible,” a DOD official told Congress.
And, you know, here on the side of the army, we are also disappointed by the irresponsibility of this work.’
