A small but life-threatening radioactive capsule that was lost in Australia has now been found. This is reported by the news agency Reuters wednesday morning. The package is only 8 millimeters and it was taken into account that it would never be found again.
The package had fallen off a truck that had arrived in the Western Australian city of Perth on January 16. To find the capsule, a route of 1,400 kilometers was searched. And with success, it turns out on Wednesday. Ultimately, the package was found about 50 kilometers from Newman.
The Australian Army verified the capsule and transferred it to a secure location in Perth. “Considering the size of the research area, we were faced with an almost impossible task,” said Australian Minister Stephen Dawson, who is responsible for the security services. “The searchers have literally found a needle in a haystack.”
It is possible that the tiny object disappeared from the packaging due to a vibrated loose screw, after which it fell off the truck. British-Australian mining group Rio Tinto has apologized for losing the capsule. It is unlikely that the capsule contaminated the environment where it was found.
The capsule contained caesium-137. This is used in mining for iron ore measurements. But it can lead to serious burns and radiation sickness if used unsafely. In the long term, cesium-137 can cause cancer. Health authorities therefore recommended keeping a distance of at least 5 meters from the capsule during the search.
