Sigh of relief in Australia: Small, highly radioactive capsule that firefighters have been searching for for days has been found. The task of looking for a needle in a haystack was happily completed. The tiny capsule, which was lost in transit, is now packed in a lead container and transported to a safe location.
Two weeks ago, after the capsule fell off a truck during transport, civil defense said it found a vehicle equipped with radiation detectors loaded on the roadside near an iron ore mine.
The capsule has to be transported over a distance of 1400 km
An eight-by-six millimeter capsule was loaded onto a truck on January 12 at an iron ore mine near the mining town of Newman. Later he moved to Perth. Her loss was discovered only when she was dropped off a few days later.
Image copyright: dpa
Paramedics and firefighters had already searched hundreds of kilometers on foot along some 1,400 kilometers of traffic because it was initially unclear where she fell from the truck.
The truth is, this capsule should never have been lost. We regret that this has happened and the concern it has caused in the Western Australian community.
Simon Trott, boss of the mining company “Rio Tinto”.
Officials have warned of a health crisis
Australian health officials have warned people not to approach the capsule: it contains highly radioactive cesium-137, a one meter radius that has an effect on the human body equivalent to “ten X-ray treatments per hour”.
Image rights: Image Alliance/dpa/Department of Fire and Emergency Services
Cesium-137 is part of the radiation measurements used by miners to determine the density of iron ore deposits.
This topic in the project:First | BRISANT | February 01, 2023 | 5:15 p.m
“Friend of animals everywhere. Web guru. Organizer. Food geek. Amateur tv fanatic. Coffee trailblazer. Alcohol junkie.”
More Stories
The United States, Great Britain and Canada have imposed new sanctions against Iran
Prince Harry is officially returning to Great Britain
British PM: Border security more important than international courts