Uranium at Heathrow Airport

Uranium in cargo triggered a security alert at Heathrow Airport.
Uranium in cargo triggered a security alert at Heathrow Airport.
Last month, uranium-contaminated metal was discovered at London’s Heathrow Airport, prompting police to launch an investigation.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command responded to the security alert on December 29.

According to The Sun, which broke the story first, the uranium came from Pakistan.

According to the BBC, one line of inquiry is whether it was the result of “poor handling” in the country. According to police, there was no danger to the public.

According to a source, it was discovered in a shipment of scrap metal.

A former commander of the UK’s defence forces said “a very small sample” was found and offered assurances that “there are people looking out for this 24 hours a day”.

Colonel Hamish De Bretton-Gordon said the incident “should not worry the public”.

He did, however, tell BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that, given recent nuclear threats, he could understand why the public was concerned.

He stated that uranium could be used for nuclear fuel in power plants and, when highly enriched, for nuclear weapons.

The Sun reported that alarms were raised at Heathrow after specialist scanners detected the substance as it was being transported to a freight shed owned by Swissport.

The intended destination of the shipment is unknown. Nobody has been arrested.

“We can confirm officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were contacted by Border Force colleagues at Heathrow after a very small amount of contaminated material was identified after routine screening within a package incoming to the UK,” the Metropolitan Police said.

Commander Richard Smith from the force’s counter terrorism team separately told the BBC: “Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat.

“However, as the public would expect, we will continue to pursue all available lines of inquiry to ensure this is absolutely the case.”

The element that sparks debate
To fly dangerous cargo, including uranium, strict protocols must be followed, including loading the nuclear material onto the base of units in the cargo hold and maintaining a minimum distance between the nuclear material and the cabin above.

Uranium is a naturally occurring element. Once refined or enriched, it can be used in nuclear applications. This is accomplished through the use of centrifuges, which are machines that spin at supersonic speeds.

Low-enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear fuel for commercial power plants.

Highly enriched uranium is used in research reactors and has a purity of 20% or higher. 90% enriched uranium is used in nuclear weapons.

Steve Barclay, a Cabinet minister, said he hoped for more information in “due course.”

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