Search for radioactive capsule continues in Australia

Surveilance

Australia's nuclear safety agency said on Tuesday it had joined the Western Australian state government's hunt for the tiny radioactive capsule that went missing several days ago while being transported in Western Australia.

The loss has triggered a radiation alert for large parts of the vast state, including Perth.

The missing radioactive material was part of a loaded radiometer used in some industries such as mining, which emits dangerous amounts of radiation equivalent to receiving 10 X-rays in one hour and can cause skin burns and cancer in the event of prolonged exposure.

The capsule is believed to have fallen from a truck that made a 1,400 km (870 miles) in Western Australia while it was being transported between a desert mine site and Perth on Jan. 10.

The truck transporting the capsule arrived at the Perth warehouse on Jan. 16. However, emergency services were notified of the missing capsule on Jan. 25.

Mining giant Rio Tinto's CEO, Simon Trott, said the company takes the incident seriously and apologizes for causing concern to people.

Source: QNA