After a six-day search, authorities in Australia have finally found the missing radioactive capsule that fell off a truck last month.
This thing is a tiny, pea-sized, dangerously radioactive piece of equipment!
The radioactive object fell off a mining truck in January, which sparked a massive search.
This little thing was part of an industrial gauge (mining equipment) and was being transported from a desert mine to Perth on January 10. Still, emergency services were only notified it was missing on January 25 – nine days after the truck arrived.
The high-stakes hunt went along a highway for 870 miles.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services via AP
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the military was evaluating the capsule before being taken to a secure facility in Perth Thursday.
When you consider the scope of the research area, locating this object was a monumental challenge; the search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack.
The radioactive object that apparently landed on the side of the road near Newman, Australia is reported to be 6 mm in diameter, 8 mm long, and containing Caesium-137, which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.
Western Australian Department Of Fire And Emergency Services/Handout via REUTERS
Searchers were told not to come within 16 feet of the tiny object if they spotted it due to concerns of radiation burns and sickness – it could cause skin burns, and prolonged exposure could cause cancer.
It is unclear how the tiny object was found, especially staying 16 feet away at all times, but reports say it did not contaminate the area, according to Fox News.
The chief executive of the mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Simon Trott, said the company is taking the incident seriously and apologizing for causing public concern.
We recognize this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community. As well as fully supporting the relevant authorities, we have launched our own investigation to understand how the capsule was lost in transit.
Police conclude the incident to have been an accident, and no criminal charges are being made.
