A radioactive leak from a consignment, meant for medical use, was detected at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, Delhi on Friday morning.

One of the four packets of low-radioactive sodium iodide leaked and was detected after being offloaded at the airport’s cargo complex. The consignment had come aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the atomic energy department reached the spot. The leaked consignment was separated and the surrounding area was cordoned off by the teams for sanitization.

The NDRF chief O P Singh and union home minister Rajnath Singh reportedly said that there was nothing to panic about as the situation was under control. They added that the leak had no effect on the passenger area, which is about over a km away from the cargo area.

Sodium iodide is used in the treatment of cancer. It emits radioactive radiations and needs to be handled with care. The material was procured by a private hospital. Meanwhile, two workers who handled the consignment were taken to AIIMS hospital for a check-up. They had first noticed the leakage after they complained of itching in their eyes.