A small radioactive capsule with the potential to be lethal has been discovered by Australian authorities following an extensive search over a distance of several thousand kilometers.
The radioactive capsule after being found on a highway south of Newman, Western Australia. (Photo: Getty Images).
The radioactive capsule was located approximately 50 kilometers south of the mining town of Newman, according to ABC News.
This radioactive item had been missing in the remote region of Western Australia for nearly a week. It was found after specialized radiation detection equipment was brought in to assist with the challenging search along the more than 1,400-kilometer remote highway.
The silver capsule, measuring 8 mm in length, contained a small amount of radioactive Cesium-137. It had previously fallen out of equipment that the company Rio Tinto was transporting to Perth by truck for repairs.
The loss of the radioactive capsule prompted radiation warnings across vast areas of Western Australia.
Although Western Australia has a sparse population outside of Perth, authorities were concerned that the capsule could become lodged in the tires of any vehicles traveling along the highway. This could potentially expose occupants in those vehicles to radiation equivalent to 10 X-ray scans within an hour.
The radioactive capsule was part of a density gauge that Rio Tinto was using to measure the density of iron ore at a facility in the Gudai-Darri mine, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The equipment was packed into a box on January 10 and was then securely fastened to a pallet on the transporting truck.
However, when the shipment arrived at the area and was opened for inspection on January 25, the density gauge was found to be broken, missing one of the four bolts and screws that were part of the device.
Authorities suspect that the truck experienced significant vibrations during transport, causing the radioactive capsule to fall out of its specialized box and slip through a loose bolt hole, leading to its loss.
