Reward for the radioactive material camera last seen near the Houston Whataburger

Local and state officials are asking the public for help in finding an x-ray camera that was likely stolen last week from a Whataburger parking lot in north Houston, and a $3,000 reward is being offered for its return.

The camera, owned by a Houston company and used for industrial purposes, is not considered a public health hazard as long as it remains intact and undamaged, according to Lara Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Health (DSHS). . According to her, the problem is that someone will try to disassemble the camera.

The SPEC-150 chamber contains radioactive material sealed inside a capsule, which is in turn sealed inside the chamber with a shield and other security measures, according to DSHS, which states that radiation levels outside the chamber are not dangerous.

“If they got into this shielded chamber where the radioactive material is, I was told that they would probably lose their fingers within 30-60 seconds,” Anton said. “As long as it remains sealed in a protective case, it poses a very low risk to the public.

“It has radiation symbols on the side,” she added. “It should be pretty obvious that this is not something you would mess with.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, industrial radiography cameras use X-rays and gamma rays to detect defects that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are used to test the welding of metals, oil and gas pipelines, boilers, aircraft and vehicle parts, and other materials.

The 53-pound camera that went missing Thursday evening belongs to the Statewide Maintenance Company, which is offering a $3,000 reward for its return, Anton said. She said the workers left the camera in the truck when they entered the Whataburger restaurant at 4040 Little York Rd. and when they returned, the camera was gone.

The state-owned repair company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The Houston Office of Emergency Management is helping the state health department find a missing camera. Anton said authorities were blank on Friday when they used a radiation detector to search within a 5-mile radius of the restaurant, but still believe the camera is in the Houston area.

Anton said the state health department has also contacted pawnshops and scrap yards in the region, asking them to find the missing camera. The last time a radiographic camera went missing was in Texas in 2020, according to Anton, who said the camera was in a flooded and washed-out truck and was later found in a river.

If anyone stumbles upon a camera from Whataburger that went missing Thursday night, they are asked to call 911 or the DSHS 24/7 telephone line at 512-458-7460.

“We hope that the public, if they see this, will give us a call so we can come and pick it up,” Anton said.