Radioactive covers found in Westbury store

Two metal tissue box covers shipped to a Bed, Bath & Beyond store in Westbury have been removed by health authorities because they contained low levels of radioactive cobalt-60.

The state Health Department advised Nassau County health authorities of the radioactive products Thursday following an investigation that revealed 12 metal tissue-box covers were shipped to four Bed, Bath & Beyond outlets statewide.

Health officials say all 12 have been removed.

Neither state nor local health authorities had further information on the source of the products or how they learned about them.

"The presence or handling of these boxes poses no imminent public health threat," Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein said in a statement.

Cobalt-60 is a man-made radioactive material that has numerous uses.

State and local health department experts Thursday said the amount of radiation exposure from holding the metal tissue box against body for one hour would be equivalent to a chest X-ray.