Australia: radioactive capsule that fell from a truck in mid-January found


A tiny dangerously radioactive capsule, which fell in mid-January from a mining giant Rio Tinto truck on an isolated road in the Australian Outback, was found on Wednesday, February 1. The silver-coloured cylinder, which measures eight millimeters by six millimeters, was found on the side of the road near the town of Newman, Australia, Western Australia state emergency services said. It had been lost during its transport between a mine near Newman and the northern suburbs of Perth, a distance of approximately 1,400 kilometers. His disappearance went unnoticed until the end of the month.

A capsule that may cause acute radiation syndrome

Authorities have traveled hundreds of miles of highway in search of the tiny capsule, which contains a radioactive substance, Cesium-137, which can cause acute radiation syndrome. After six days of research, one of the mobilized vehicles detected radiation while traveling on the highway.

“It’s a good thing. Like I said, it was clearly a needle in a haystack that was found and I think people in Western Australia will be able to sleep better tonight,” said to the press Steve Dawson, minister of emergency services of this Australian state. The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used in the mining industry to measure the density of iron ore.

The capsule transported to a safe place

This Wednesday, February 1, a team, including members of the Australian Army, identified the capsule before loading it into a lead-lined container to protect the response team from radiation. She has now been transported to a “safe place” and will begin a new journey to Perth on Thursday February 2, according to emergency services. “The site has been inspected and cleared of any residual radiological contamination,” they said.

The British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto welcomed the recovery of the capsule and reiterated its apologies for the “extremely rare” incident. “I would like to apologize to the entire Western Australian community for the concern that has been raised,” Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Simon Trott said in a statement. An investigation into the incident has been opened and sanctions are being considered.



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