The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) disclosed on Thursday that it removed 36 ingots of the radioactive metal Cobalt-60 from an agricultural site in Lebanon that had been closed for 10 years, and had them taken to Russia on August 30th to make sure that they did not fall into the wrong hands.
The material was associated with an irradiation device used to fight bacteria in produce. According to a statement by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, each bar could kill a person within minutes, with the total lethal potential up to 3,500.
Removal efforts were delayed because of the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and later because of a Hizbullah presence in the area.