Key takeaways:
- Australian authorities are searching for a missing radioactive capsule that fell off a truck during a 870-mile journey in Western Australia.
- The capsule contains Caesium-137, a highly radioactive substance used in mining equipment.
- A team with specialized car-mounted and portable detection equipment has been sent to search for the capsule, and the loss of the capsule has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of Western Australia.
Australian authorities are searching for a missing radioactive capsule believed to have fallen off a truck during a 870-mile journey in Western Australia.
The capsule, which is no bigger than a coin and emits both gamma and beta rays, contains Caesium-137, a highly radioactive substance used in mining equipment. It had been entrusted by Rio Tinto Ltd to a specialist contractor to transport from the Gudai-Darri mine site in remote northern Western Australia to the state capital, Perth.
The capsule is part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed. Rio Tinto has checked all roads in and out of the mine site, but the capsule has yet to be found.
In response to the incident, Australia’s nuclear safety agency has sent a team with specialized car-mounted and portable detection equipment to search for the capsule. The search has been ongoing for a week, but so far, the capsule has not been located.
The loss of the capsule has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of Western Australia. Rio Tinto has apologized for the incident and is supporting state government efforts to find the capsule.
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