U.S. removes cobalt-60 cancer-treatment material from Guatemala over dirty-bomb risk

WASHINGTON - U.S. nuclear security officials removed highly radioactive cobalt-60 used in cancer treatment equipment from Guatemala, saying the material posed a theft risk that could support a radiological weapon known as a dirty bomb.

The National Nuclear Security Administration said cobalt-60 is valuable in medical devices but becomes a security problem when sources are poorly secured or left in place after clinics upgrade equipment. The administration's 2026 counterterrorism strategy lists keeping chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials away from terrorists as a core duty.

Fox News reported that Guatemala's National Centre of Radioactive Wastes and the Ministry of Energy and Mines provided transportation, logistics and physical security during the operation. After NNSA teams packaged the cobalt-60 component, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency handled secure onward transport.

A Guatemalan technical official thanked U.S. partners for the collaboration. The operation fits a longer U.S. pattern of working with foreign governments to recover high-activity sealed sources from hospitals and research sites before they can be lost, sold or stolen.

U.S. agencies have run similar recovery missions in other countries for years, focusing on teletherapy heads and industrial gauges that hold enough radioactivity to matter in a dirty bomb. Packaging usually includes shielded containers, chain-of-custody seals and military or contractor escorts until the material reaches a secure U.S. or partner storage site.

For patients, cobalt-60 devices are a cancer tool, not a threat when properly housed. The story for the public is the dual use: the same isotope that treats tumors can contaminate a wide area if packed with conventional explosives. Removing excess inventory shrinks that risk without ending legitimate cancer care. Hospitals replacing old units should document disposition so sources never sit idle in unlocked storage.