Missing radioactive capsule discovered in Western Australia

• Officials located a radioactive capsule.
• The capsule was being verified by the military.
• People have been advised to stay at least five meters (16.5 feet) away.

Sydney: An emergency services official in Australia claimed on Wednesday that officials located a radioactive capsule that had been lost in the vast Outback following a nearly week-long search along a 1,400 km (870-mile) length of the highway.

According to Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson, the capsule was being verified by the military and would be brought to a secure location in Perth on Thursday.

“Considering the extent of the research field, identifying this artifact was a massive undertaking; the search groups actually found the needle in the haystack,” Dawson explained.

The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge that measured the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto’s (RIO.AX) Gudai-Darri mine in the remote Kimberley region of the state. The ore was being transported to a plant in Perth’s suburbs, a journey that was longer than the length of the United Kingdom.

Western Australia response

Officials from Western Australia’s emergency response department, defense authorities, radiation specialists, and others have been searching for the tiny capsule that went missing in transit more than two weeks ago.

According to officials, the capsule allegedly fell from a truck and landed on the side of the road, and it was destroyed.

It seems unlikely that pollution will occur in the area.

Caesium-137, which releases radiation equivalent to 10 X-rays per hour, is contained in the silver capsule, which measures 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm in length.

People have been advised to stay at least five meters (16.5 feet) away from the capsule if they see it since exposure could result in radiation burns or radiation sickness, however driving past it is thought to pose a minor danger, similar to receiving an X-ray.

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