A small but highly radioactive capsule has been found in Australia after it was misplaced by mining giant Rio Tinto, authorities said on Wednesday. The capsule disappeared while being trucked from a mine near the remote town of Newman to Perth’s northern suburbs.
“A needle has been found in a haystack. I think Western Australians can sleep better tonight,” Stephen Dawson, Western Australia’s emergency services minister, told reporters.
British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto apologized on Jan. 10 after losing a small capsule in Western Australia, but with radiation levels dangerous to human health.
The eight-by-six-millimeter silver capsule used in mining operations contains a radioactive substance called Cesium-137, according to the Western Australia State Department of Health.
Emergency services said the capsule disappeared while being transported by truck, a distance of about 1,400 kilometers.
The radioactive capsule, which is part of equipment used in the mining industry to measure the density of iron ore, was transported by a Rio Tinto-certified company, Trott said.
Health authorities even warned the public not to touch the capsule or even to stay less than five meters away from it.
Cesium-137 emits dangerous amounts of radiation, the equivalent of receiving ten X-rays in an hour. The capsule can cause burns and prolonged exposure can cause cancer.
Source: DN
