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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Air Force has notified federal regulators that a "minuscule" amount of radioactive material from targeting equipment was lost when an F-16 crashed in Utah last month.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday that the military has filed a report with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the use of radioactive material.
The newspaper says eight microcuries of americium-241 are thought to be buried about 35 miles south of Wendover. That's about the same amount found in four to eight smoke detectors.
Americium is a radioactive material often is used in testing devices.
Capt. George B. Houghton, 28, of Candler, N.C., was killed when his F-16 crashed June 22 on a training mission. The cause of the crash is not known.
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Information from: Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
