Ispat reacts to radioactivity fears

The Ispat Steel Company has taken out full page newspaper advertisements to assure the public that the radioactive material contained in the burnt-out building is safe.

The plant was at the centre of the recent fatal fire in Cork Harbour.

The company said the move was prompted by what it called "selective reporting".

An Ispat spokesman said the radioactive canisters stored in the building were used to test an alarm system to locate radioactivity in scrap metal, and while one of the canisters was missing, it contained less radioactivity than a fire alarm.