An Easter egg hunt in south-western Germany took a worrying turn on Sunday when two men discovered a vial labelled "Polonium 210" in a garden, triggering an emergency response as authorities tested for the potentially lethal radioactive substance.
District fire chief Andy Dorroch said initial on-site measurements were carried out to detect radioactivity, but all of them came back negative. He added that the two men were unharmed.
The discovery led to a large-scale operation involving the fire brigade and police in the town of Vaihingen an der Enz, north-west of Stuttgart.
It remains unclear whether the 50-millilitre vial actually contained polonium 210.
The fire brigade will secure the vial in accordance with safety precautions, the fire chief said.
Reports said the area around the site where the bottle was found was cordoned off.
According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the chemical element polonium is particularly dangerous if inhaled or absorbed through the skin via open wounds.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
What an expert on the gut microbiome eats in a day - 2EU waters down plans to end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035
- 3Vote In favor of Your Favored IT Administration
- 4I’m a dad to an autistic child. Here’s how you can make the holidays easier for all of us.
- 56 Methods for further developing Rest Quality
- Sustaining Public activity and Connections: Key Methodologies
- The pace of hiring just fell to the lowest since 2011, outside of the pandemic
- Step by step instructions to Contrast Lab Precious stones and Normal Jewels
- Chemical leak in Oklahoma forces evacuations and leaves many ill
- Find the Insider facts of Compelling Systems administration: Building Associations for Progress
- A top Marine shares his secrets to keeping fit at 50
- Launch pad damaged as Russian rocket blasts off for space station, agency says
- Most loved Amusement Park Firecrackers Show: Which One Lights Up Your Evening?
- 12 times rockets and spacecraft crashed and burned in 2025
