For nearly two weeks, squads searched along 1,400 kilometers of highway for a capsule the size of a coin
After a frantic week-long search – involving around 100 people from the Emergency Department, armed services and radiation experts – Australian authorities today found a dangerous radioactive capsule that had been missing since mid-January in the vast Australian inland.
The searches were carried out along 1,400 kilometers of a highway. Western Australia’s Emergency Services Minister Steven Dawson called the finding of the capsule “an outstanding result”.
“When you consider the scope of the area that had to be searched, locating this object was a monumental challenge, the search teams really found a flea in the hay,” he said.
Investigations and locating the capsule
The coin-sized capsule – 6mm in diameter and 8mm long – contained radioactive Caesium-137 and had been lost in transit more than two weeks ago.
Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside https://t.co/IiSLdNsCzG
— CNN International (@cnni) February 1, 2023
Citizens had been told to stay at least 5 meters away if they spotted the capsule, because exposure to it could cause burns or radiation poisoning. However, the risk is believed to be relatively low when driving close to the capsule, as the amount of radiation one would receive in this case was equivalent to that of an X-ray.
The capsule was finally discovered today when a vehicle equipped with special tracking devices and traveling at 70 km/h detected the radioactivity, according to officials in the state of Western Australia.
The search team then used portable equipment to find the capsule, which was located about 2 meters from the side of the road in a remote area away from any community, they added.
A 20-metre exclusion zone was set up around the capsule while members of the armed forces confirmed its find via its serial number.
Officials said the capsule appeared to have fallen on the side of the road from a truck during its transport, adding that it was unlikely the area was contaminated.
Australian authorities found a radioactive capsule that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along an 870-mile stretch of highway, an emergency services official said https://t.co/H6Se8uSs13
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 1, 2023
The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore at Rio Tinto’s Gundai-Dari mine in the state’s remote Kimberley region.
The meter was moved to a facility in a suburb of Perth, the regional capital of Western Australia.
It will then be placed in a lead container and stored overnight in a secure location in Newman, a mining town nearly 1,200 kilometers northwest of Perth, before being flown to the state capital tomorrow, Thursday.
The capsule, silver in color, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to that of 10 X-rays per hour.
Rio Tinto is prepared to pay for the cost of the survey if asked by the government, the company’s head of iron ore Simon Trodt told reporters. He added that a full investigation would be carried out into the circumstances under which it went missing and the company would impose additional controls to prevent anything similar from happening again.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
