After days of searching, experts in Western Australia have found a radioactive capsule that fell from a truck. The ABC reported, citing the regional government, that response teams found the smaller and more dangerous capsule about 50 kilometers south of the mining town of Newman. The transport of dangerous goods from Newman to Perth began on 12 January.
“Found a needle in a haystack”
The Australian Agency for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (ARBANSA) previously intervened in the search for the radioactive midget. The company has experts West of the country It was sent to assist special equipment in searching for a capsule containing highly radioactive cesium-137 along a 1400-km route. Among other things, they were used with radiation detectors in vehicles. “It’s really just found a needle in the haystack and I think Western Australians can sleep well tonight,” Regional Emergencies Secretary Stephen Dawson said.
Disappeared after January 12
The small radioactive capsule was lost while being transported from a mine north of the mining town of Newman to a depot near the Perth metropolitan area. The incident took place after January 12. The capsule’s disappearance was not noticed until the truck was unloaded on January 25.
The loss of the six- to eight-millimeter radioactive capsule caused widespread concern in Western Australia over its hazardous contents. People have been asked to keep a distance of at least five meters if they see a silver box smaller than a ten-cent coin.
Chemical burns, cancer, radiation sickness
Long-term exposure to radiation can lead to skin burns and cancer. Health officials warned that being within a one-meter radius could have the effect of “ten X-ray treatments per hour” on the human body and trigger severe radiation sickness. According to experts, the capsule remains radioactive for about 300 years.
“We have to look at how these capsules are being transported,” Emergency Services Secretary Stephen Dawson said. How something like this falls out of the secure loading area of a special truck is a mystery to him.
British-Australian mining group Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, had already apologized for the incident. The corporation runs the Kudai Tharri mine where the capsule was transported. The company handled the transportation by an external specialist company. It is believed that a bolt in the container was loosened by vibration during the trip and the mini-case fell through the bolt hole. It is not yet clear how she got out of the truck from there.
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