A tiny radioactive capsule that could result in skin burns was being carried from a mine in Western Australia when it vanished.
The 8mm by 6mm capsule, which is said to have fallen from a truck when it was travelling 1,400 kilometres between a mine site north of Newman in the Pilbara and a depot in Perth, is being sought after by hazardous material specialists.
The WA chief health officer, Andy Robertson, stated that the capsule, which is only 6mm by 8mm in size, releases a “reasonable” quantity of radiation during an emergency press conference on Friday.
According to experts, Western Australia should issue a significant public health warning.
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What exactly is the capsule, and what are the risks of exposure?
The little silver cylinder is a caesium 137 ceramic source, which is typically employed in radiation metres.
The machine produces the equivalent of 10 X-rays in an hour, according to Western Australia’s chief health officer, Andrew Robertson, therefore people should keep at least five metres away.
If it comes into touch with you or is placed close by, you run the risk of suffering from skin damage, such as burns, or acute radiation sickness. The fear is that someone may pick it up, not knowing what it is, and may decide to keep it because it seems interesting.
Although specialists claim the capsule cannot be weaponized, prolonged exposure may also result in cancer.
They could also have some acute consequences, including implications on their immune system and gastrointestinal system if they were stored long enough and they were exposed long enough.
How is it supposed that the capsule got off the truck?
The device is thought to have fallen through a hole made by a missing fastener after a screw inside the huge lead-lined gauge it was enclosed in came free.
Rio Tinto claimed that it hired a skilled handler of radioactive materials to wrap the capsule and carry it securely to the depot and that it was not made aware that it had vanished until Wednesday.
It was secured within a box that was affixed on a pallet in compliance with the radiation safety transit and regulations.
They think the truck’s vibration may have compromised the gauge’s integrity, causing it to disintegrate and the source to emerge from it,
A gauge seldom breaks apart the way this one has.
The way the gauge and capsule were handled at the mine site, the method of transportation, and the actions taken at the depot in Perth when it reached there on January 16 will all be the subject of an investigation.
According to the police, the occurrence was an accident, and no charges are likely to be filed.
There is still a health advisory for radioactive materials.
Where are search teams concentrating their efforts?
Teams from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services are stationed along a 36km section of the busiest freight route with metal detectors and portable radiation detectors.
They were focusing on populated areas along the Great Northern Highway north of Perth, according to Superintendent Darryl Ray.
According to reports on Saturday, “What we’re not doing is trying to identify a tiny little device visually.”
They are using the metres to find the gamma rays using the radiation detectors.
The GPS data from the truck is also being used by authorities to pinpoint the driver’s path and the location of the truck’s stop after it departed the mine on or around January 10.
They have urged the Commonwealth and other states to rapidly send more equipment, including units that can be connected to a truck, as their efforts are impeded by a lack of it.
Additionally, there are worries that the solid capsule could be hundreds of kilometres distant from the search area and may already be stuck in the tyre of another vehicle.
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