SYDNEY: A tiny but dangerously radioactive capsule, which fell off a truck along a remote stretch of desert highway in Western Australia last month, has been found, authorities said on Wednesday.
“It’s a good result, as I’ve said it’s certainly a needle in a haystack that has been found, and I think West Australians can sleep better tonight,” West Australian emergency services minister Stephen Dawson told reporters.
Reuters earlier reported that Rio Tinto Ltd apologised on Monday for the loss of a tiny radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck that has sparked a radiation alert across parts of the vast state of Western Australia.
It is unclear how long the radioactive capsule, part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed, has been missing.
The gauge was picked up by a specialist contractor from Rio’s Gudai-Darri mine site on Jan. 12. When it was unpacked for inspection on Jan. 25, the gauge was found broken apart, with one of four mounting bolts missing and screws from the gauge also gone.
Authorities suspect vibrations from the truck caused the screws and the bolt to come loose, and the radioactive capsule from the gauge fell out of the package and then out of a gap in the truck.
Authorities grappled with the daunting task of searching along the truck’s 1,400 kilometre (870 mile) journey from north of Newman – a small town in the remote Kimberley region – to a storage facility in the northeast suburbs of Perth – a distance longer than the length of Great Britain.
The silver capsule, 6 millimetres (mm) in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.
Authorities had recommended people stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though they add that the risk to the general community is relatively low.
The state’s emergency services department has established a hazard management team and brought in specialised equipment that includes portable radiation survey meters to detect radiation levels across a 20-metre radius and which can be used from moving vehicles.
Analysts said that the transport of dangerous goods to and from mine sites was routine, adding that such incidents have been extremely rare.
The incident was a headache for the mining giant following its 2020 destruction of two ancient and sacred rock shelters in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for an iron ore mine.
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