A radioactive capsule that fell from a lorry has been discovered in outback Australia, setting off a radiation alarm and searching hundreds of miles of roads.
Western Australia’s Minister for Emergency Services says the location of a silver capsule emitting the radioactive isotope cesium-137 has been located.
Authorities searched for the 6mm by 8mm capsule and followed the truck’s 870-mile (1,400 km) route with X-ray scanning equipment.
The capsule is being examined by the military and will be transported to a secure facility in Perth.
Minister Stephen Dawson called it an “extraordinary achievement”.
“When you think about the extent of the search area, locating this thing was a huge challenge, the search teams literally found a needle in a haystack,” he said.
The capsule was found when it was picked up by a vehicle fitted with radiation scanners while traveling at around 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour).
Subjects were warned of possible radiation burns or illnesses if they approached the capsule.
Driving in the past was described as far less dangerous, as were x-rays.
Fortunately, it was detected far from any community and anyone is unlikely to be exposed to its radiation, said Andrew Robertson, Western Australia’s chief health officer.
The search area covered hundreds of miles of highways
The capsule belongs to mining company Rio Tinto and is part of a scale used to measure the density of iron ore.
It is believed that the vibrations during transport caused the screws and bolts of the scales to loosen, causing them to fall off.
The search area was vast and the truck covered a greater distance than the UK on its journey from the Godai Dare mine to the outskirts of Perth.
Police, the Department of Defense and the Australian Nuclear Safety Agency were all involved after the capsule went missing on January 25.
The investigation focuses on the handling of the scale and the capsule at the mine site
They traveled the Great Northern State Highway as well as other parts of the road used by the road train, a truck towing several trailers.
By Tuesday, about 410 miles (660 km) had been searched.
Rio Tinto, which transferred the capsule to another company for transport, apologized for the “extremely disturbing” incident and said it had launched its own investigation.
Authorities are conducting their own investigations and prosecutions may follow.
