Australian radioactive capsule

It's like looking for a needle in a haystack -- an 8mm by 6mm silver capsule, no bigger than a coin, believed to be lost somewhere along a stretch of vast ...

If the capsule is never found, it will not contaminate or transfer radioactivity into the surrounding soil,” Deb added. Rio Tinto, one of the world’s biggest mining giants, operates 17 iron ore mines in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. [Radiation Services WA ](https://radiationserviceswa.com.au/missing-radioactive-source-in-western-australia/)says radioactive substances are transported throughout Western Australia on a daily basis without any issues. “Imagine if it was a bird of prey for example that picks up the capsule and carries it away from the (original) search area – there are so many uncertainties and it will pose more problems,” said Dave Sweeney, nuclear policy analyst and environmental advocate at the Australian Conservation Foundation. If a member of the public stumbles upon the capsule in the meantime, authorities have urged them to stay at least 5 meters (16.4 feet) away – though they acknowledge it would be difficult to see from a distance. Pradip Deb, a lecturer and radiation safety officer at RMIT University in Melbourne, said the loss of the capsule was “very unusual” as Australian safety rules require them to be transported in highly protective cases. “In this case, there seems to be a failure of the control measures typically implemented,” it said, adding that it had nothing to do with the capsule’s loss. “We are all exposed to a constant level of radiation from things around us and the foods we eat but the primary concern now is the potential impact on health of the person who would find the capsule.” Ivan Kempson, an associate professor in Biophysics from the University of Southern Australia, said the worst case scenario would be a curious child picking up the capsule and putting it in their pocket. “Upon opening the package, it was found that the gauge was broken apart with one of the four mounting bolts missing and the source itself and all screws on the gauge also missing,” said the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES). Rio Tinto said it has checked all roads in and out of the mine in remote WA, where the device was located before a contractor collected it for the journey south to the state capital, Perth. Due to the tiny size of the capsule and the huge distances involved, authorities warn the chances of finding it are slim.

Australian authorities on Tuesday sent out more personnel and specialised detection equipment to search for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in ...

The transport crate and pallet were supplied by SGS, a Centurion spokesperson told Reuters by phone. 12 and was unpacked for inspection on Jan. Transport was then subcontracted out to logistics firm Centurion. The gauge was picked up from the mine site on Jan. On Tuesday, it said that 660 km had been searched so far. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Australian authorities are mounting an extensive search for a tiny radioactive capsule believed to have fallen out of a road train that travelled 1400 km in ...

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Australia's nuclear safety agency said on Tuesday it had joined the hunt for a tiny radioactive capsule missing somewhere in the outback, sending a team ...

The gauge was picked up from the mine site on Jan. It added that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has also sent radiation services specialists as well as detection and imaging equipment. The loss has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of the vast state.

January 31, 2023 3:17 p.m.. people in yellow vests look at a radiation detector Members of Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services search ...

“It is extremely rare for a source to be lost,” he tells the publication. Rio Tinto, the corporation that mined the radioactive substance, apologized for the incident in a “If the source just happened to be lying in the middle of the road you might get lucky … If a person stood one meter away from the substance for an hour, they would be exposed to the equivalent of receiving ten X-rays, or the amount of radiation a person normally receives in a year. It was being transported by a third-party contractor. It was unpacked for inspection on January 25, at which point it was discovered that the capsule was missing, per Western Australia’s Stuchbery tells Reuters that it is “not impossible” that the searchers will find the capsule. And it’s missing somewhere along a stretch of desert roughly the length of California’s coastline. [statement](https://www.riotinto.com/en/news/missing-capsule-in-wa) and said they have launched their own investigation into how the capsule was lost. The DFES is using radiation survey meters to try to detect radiation from the capsule and locate it. “If people see the capsule or something that looks similar, stay away from it and keep others away from it too,” Robertson says in a [joined the effort](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/australian-nuclear-body-joins-search-missing-radioactive-capsule-rcna68320) to find the substance, which poses a public health threat.

A radiation alert remains across parts of Western Australia as officials keep looking for the missing capsule.

It is encapsulated by steel which prevents the radioactive material from escaping. But the risk posed by this missing radioactive capsule is very real. But it wasn’t until nine days later, on January 25, that it was unpacked by mining giant Rio Tinto for inspection - and the loss of the capsule became clear. It’s a 19-GBq (which stands for gigabecquerel, a unit indicating radioactive decay) caesium-137 ceramic source, the sort typically used in radiation gauges. Its loss has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of the state. Authorities said on Monday it would take five days to retrace the truck’s route.

Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule smaller than a coin that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along ...

The gauge was being taken to a facility in the suburbs of state capital Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain. Rio is willing to pay for the cost of the search if asked by the government, iron ore division head Simon Trott told reporters. People had been told to stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away if they spotted the capsule, because exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness. Rio said in a statement that it would investigate whether the use of specialist contractors had been appropriate, having entrusted the gauge to SGS Australia and Centurion for packaging and transportation respectively. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto's

Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside, after a challenging search likened to ...

It could also have been taken from the area by an animal – or worse, picked up and kept by someone unaware of the dangers. “A lot of work went in around the metro area based on some intelligence early on… It is remote enough that it’s not in any major community so it is unlikely that anybody has been exposed to the capsule,” he said. Authorities said the missing capsule was detected at 11:13 a.m. Radiation Services WA says radioactive substances are transported throughout Western Australia on a daily basis without any issues. “We are taking this incident very seriously and are undertaking a full and thorough investigation into how it happened.”

Western Australia Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in a news conference that the capsule was found by a member of the Australian Nuclear Science ...

I’d like to apologise to the wider community of Western Australia for the concern it has generated,” Trott said in a “As part of our investigation, we will be assessing whether our processes and protocols, including the use of specialist contractors to package and transport radioactive materials, are appropriate.” On Wednesday, he thanked authorities for locating the capsule and vowed to thoroughly investigate what happened. It was discovered Wednesday just 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the northbound roadside edge of the Great Northern Highway, according to Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm. 25 when it was missing from the package it was transported in, with the gauge inside “broken apart” with screws and a bolt missing, the department said. Exposure to the material can cause increased risk of cancer, radiation burns, acute radiation sickness and potentially death, according to the U.S.

Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule lost in the vast Western Australia outback last week that sparked a massive search along a ...

The ore was being taken to a facility in the suburbs of Perth - a distance longer than the length of Great Britain. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story The military was verifying the capsule and it would be taken to a secure facility in the city of Perth on Thursday, Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in a news conference.

Coin-sized radioactive device, missing for more than two weeks in WA, posed a significant public health risk.

“When you consider the scope of the research area, locating this object was a monumental challenge,” he said. They are widely used in the mining, and oil and gas industries. It wasn’t until nine days later, on 25 January, that it was discovered missing when the package was unpacked for inspection. It was initially detected by staff inside a car that was travelling at 70km/h past the capsule. “It appears to have fallen off the truck and landed by the side of the road. The Australian defence force is now verifying the small radioactive device by its serial number.

Emergency services had "literally found the needle in the haystack", authorities said.

Only one in five of Western Australia's population lives outside of Perth, the state's capital. The search area for the lost capsule was huge. the amount of natural radiation we would receive in a year, just by walking around," said Western Australia's chief health officer Andrew Robertson earlier this week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference in Perth that the current fine for failing to safely handle radioactive substances is "ridiculously low". One of four mounting bolts and screws were also missing. The company had earlier promised to launch an investigation into what had happened.

Emergency Services say they have 'quite literally found the needle in the haystack' after nearly a week-long search.

Authorities suspect vibrations on the bumpy road loosened screws and a bolt on the gauge letting the capsule fall out. “The current fine system is unacceptably low,” state health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson told the news conference. After nearly a week-long search, Emergency Services announced in a news conference on Wednesday that the military was verifying the capsule – which was found on the side of the road just outside Newman – and would take it to a secure facility in Perth.