Sydney: An official with the emergency services said on Wednesday that after nearly a week of searching along a 1,400-kilometer highway, Australian authorities discovered a radioactive capsule that had gone missing in the vast Outback. Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson stated at a news conference that the capsule was undergoing verification by the military and would be transported to a secure facility in the city of Perth on Thursday. "The search teams actually located the needle in the haystack," Dawson said. "Given the extent of the research region, discovering this item was a massive task." The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge that was used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine in the state's remote Kimberley region. Australia recovers the capsule and discovers the needle in the haystack. The ore was being transported to a facility in the Perth suburbs, a distance greater than Great Britain's length. The tiny capsule that was lost in transit more than two weeks ago has been searched for by emergency response department officials from Western Australia, defense authorities, radiation specialists, and others. read more Officials said that the capsule probably fell off a truck and ended up on the side of the road. They also said that it was unlikely that the area would have been contaminated. Caesium-137, which has a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 8 mm, is contained within the silver capsule, which gives off 10 X-rays per hour. Even though driving by it is thought to be relatively low risk, similar to taking an X-ray, people were advised to keep at least five meters (16 feet) away from the capsule in the event that they saw it because exposure could result in radiation burns or radiation sickness.
Sydney: An official with the emergency services said on Wednesday that after nearly a week of searching along a 1,400-kilometer highway, Australian authorities discovered a radioactive capsule that had gone missing in the vast Outback.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson stated at a news conference that the capsule was undergoing verification by the military and would be transported to a secure facility in the city of Perth on Thursday.
“The search teams actually located the needle in the haystack,” Dawson said. “Given the extent of the research region, discovering this item was a massive task.”
The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge that was used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine in the state’s remote Kimberley region. Australia recovers the capsule and discovers the needle in the haystack. The ore was being transported to a facility in the Perth suburbs, a distance greater than Great Britain’s length.
The tiny capsule that was lost in transit more than two weeks ago has been searched for by emergency response department officials from Western Australia, defense authorities, radiation specialists, and others. read more Officials said that the capsule probably fell off a truck and ended up on the side of the road. They also said that it was unlikely that the area would have been contaminated.
Caesium-137, which has a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 8 mm, is contained within the silver capsule, which gives off 10 X-rays per hour.
Even though driving by it is thought to be relatively low risk, similar to taking an X-ray, people were advised to keep at least five meters (16 feet) away from the capsule in the event that they saw it because exposure could result in radiation burns or radiation sickness.
