Urgent Search Continues in Australia as Tiny Radioactive Capsule Remains Missing

In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, its members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck being transported on a freight route on the outskirts of Perth, Australia. A mining corporation apologized Sunday for losing the highly radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) stretch of Western Australia as authorities combed parts of the road in search of the tiny but dangerous substance Radioactive Capsule , Perth, Australia – 28 Jan. 2023

Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock The search for radioactive capsule

An urgent search for a small radioactive capsule is still underway in Western Australia, three days after officials alerted the public to the incident.

According to an updated alert from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on Monday, the capsule was packed on January 10 to be transported to Perth for repair. The package containing the capsule arrived in Perth on January 16 and was stored in the licensed service provider’s secure radiation store.

On January 25, the meter was unpacked for inspection, but when it was opened, it was discovered that the meter inside “was broken apart with one of the four mounting bolts missing and the source itself and all screws on the meter also missing.”

The DFES in Western Australia on Friday evening issued an urgent warning for parts of the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions along the Great Northern Highway due to the missing capsule, which is dangerous.

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According to the updated warning, DFES and radiation specialists are searching along the Great Northern Highway by traveling north and southbound at slow speeds. The search teams are using radiation survey meters to detect radiation levels to try to locate the capsule.

The search area is longer than Great Britain, according to Reuters.

Western Australia’s Chief Health Officer, Dr. Andrew Robertson, said at an emergency press conference on Friday that the capsule was lost in transit between a mining site north of Newman and Malaga, according to Australian broadcaster ABC News.

In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, its members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a truck being transported on a freight route on the outskirts of Perth, Australia. A mining corporation apologized Sunday for losing the highly radioactive capsule along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) stretch of Western Australia as authorities combed parts of the road in search of the tiny but dangerous substance Radioactive Capsule , Perth, Australia – 28 Jan. 2023

Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock Search for the radioactive capsule

The capsule gives off the equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in one hour to anyone who comes within a meter of it, Robertson said.

Anyone who comes close to or makes contact with the capsule could face “acute radiation sickness,” he added, according to The Guardian. Among the long-term risks of exposure is cancer.

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“If you have contact or have it near you, you can either end up with skin damage, including skin burns, over a period of time,” Robertson said, according to the outlet. “We advise people not to be close to it or hold on to it.”

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Officials are asking anyone who has traveled between Newman and Perth since January 10 to check their tires for the capsule.

The object is only 6 millimeters (or less than a quarter of an inch) in diameter and 8 millimeters (less than a third of an inch) tall — about the same size as an Australian 10-cent piece, according to DFES.

Sealed radioactive source

Getty

Simon Trott, the chief executive of mining company Rio Tinto Iron Ore, apologized for the incident. According to the Associated Press, the company used a third-party contractor to package and ship the meter.

“We recognize this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm this has caused in the Western Australian community,” Trott said, according to the news agency. “As well as fully supporting the relevant authorities, we have launched our own investigation to understand how the capsule was lost in transit.”

Police say the incident appears to be accidental and no criminal charges are likely to be filed, according to the AP.

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Those who do come into contact with the capsule should “seek immediate medical advice from your local health service or visit a hospital emergency department,” DFES said.

Anyone who comes across the capsule is asked to keep at least 5 meters away from it and is advised not to touch it, put it in a bag or put it in a vehicle. Instead, they are asked to report the finding to DEFS “immediately” by calling 13 33 37.

DFES says it is managing the incident with the Department of Health and WA Police.