It was lost in transit to Perth. It has a diameter of 6 millimeters and a height of 8 millimeters and contains a “small amount” of the substance caesium-137.
Search Ambulance Services in Western Australia a small but potentially deadly radioactive capsule which was lost while being transported by truck from a mine to a warehouse in the city of Perth.
The tiny element has 6 millimeters in diameter and 8 in heightand contains a “small amount” of the radioactive substance cesium-137, which is used in mining.
According to Western Australia’s Department of Health, he disappeared north of the town of Newman between January 10 and 16. However, this only became clear to the cargo inspectors on the 25th of this month One of the packages they transported was broken and one of those tiny capsules had been lost along the way.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued an alert to residents in various areas of Australia’s largest state, warning of the risks of exposure to this toxic substance, including “Radiation burns or radiation sickness“like cancer.
“The capsule it is small, round and silver. The risk to the general public is relatively low, but it is important to be aware of the risks and what to do if you see the capsule.”
It also warned that if people see suspicious material, they should keep it at least five meters away, do not touch, do not hold in bags or rucksacks and do not take it into the car, but instead report it to the authorities “immediately”.
a complicated search
Emergency services said they were disabled by the lack of equipment and they asked the Commonwealth of Nations and other countries for help.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services deployed teams with handheld radiation detectors and metal detectors along a 22-mile (36-kilometer) busy dirt road to search for the unit that killed reportedly fell from the back of a truck on a 1,400 kilometer journey from the Rio Tinto mine in Newman to Malaga, a suburb of Perth.
“What we do is try to find a tiny device by sightsaid Superintendent Darryl Ray. The teams focused on populated areas in northern Perth and strategic locations along the Great Northern Highway, it added. “We use the radiation detectors to locate gamma rays,” the official added.
Authorities also analyzed the truck’s GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where he stopped after leaving the mine around January 10.
There are fears that the solid capsule has become embedded in another vehicle’s tires and may be hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the search area.
It is believed that a bolt in a lead-lined caliper loosened and the device fell through a hole.
From the Rio Tinto mine, he said he hired a radioactive materials handling expert to package the capsule and transport it “safely” to storage, and it wasn’t until Wednesday that he was informed of her disappearance.
Health chief Andrew Robertson defended the Western Australian government’s decision to wait two days before informing the public on Friday, saying they would have to search the mine and camp to rule them out and confirm the route.
With information from EFE and AP.
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