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Polonium 210 Scare in Vaihingen Eases as Experts Doubt Substance

Officials call it a likely false alarm pending lab tests.

Overview

  • Two residents, who discovered a small bottle labeled "Polonium 210" during an Easter-egg search Sunday, prompted a major emergency response in Vaihingen an der Enz.
  • On-site detectors found no radiation and the city said there was no danger to residents, with the cordoned area reopened after the bottle was removed.
  • The Baden‑Württemberg Environment Ministry secured the vial and issued a cautious early assessment that it is likely not Polonium 210.
  • Police and the state criminal office are investigating how the labeled vial ended up in a private garden, with forensic checks by the LKA preceding a lab analysis at the LUBW.
  • Final identification will use alpha spectrometry, a method needed to detect alpha emitters like Po‑210, and officials say results are not expected before next Tuesday.