by Experts say the health effects of coming into contact with a radioactive capsule no bigger than a coin currently lost in Western Australia could be serious.
Cesium-137 is an engineered fission project often used in radiology labs as well as industrial settings, such as in gauges in mining operations, said Angela Di Fulvio, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, at ABC News. .
A search is underway for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a lorry being transported on a freight road on the outskirts of Perth, Australia, January 28, 2023. A mining company on Sunday apologized for losing the highly over an 870 mile stretch of Western Australia, as authorities scoured parts of the route for the tiny but dangerous substance.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services via AP
Rescue workers and radiation specialists frantically search for a tiny capsule filled with cesium-137, measuring 8 millimeters high and 6 millimeters in diameter, along a busy 22-mile freight route in the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne areas , Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia.
Search teams are driving north and south along the Great Northern Highway at low speeds in the hope of finding the capsule, the DFES said in a statement. Specialist DFES search teams also use radiometers to detect gamma rays and radiation levels to try to locate the capsule, according to the agency.
The capsule was lost while being transported from the Rio Tinto mine in northern Newman to the northeast suburbs of Perth, a journey of 870 miles.
Officials believe a screw came loose inside the large lead line gauge and the unit fell through a hole, the Associated Press reported. The capsule was packaged in accordance with radiation protection regulations, officials said.
A member of the Incident Management Team coordinates the search for a radioactive capsule that was lost in transit by a contractor hired by Rio Tinto, at the Emergency Services Complex in Cockburn, Australia.
Fire and Emergency Department via Reuters
The capsule contained materials that are “a million times more active” than those used in a lab, Di Fulvio said, describing it as a “very active” source. At 1.665 millisieverts per hour, the unit of measurement used for radiation, entering 1 meter from the source, is comparable to about 17 chest X-rays, Di Fulvio said.
Prolonged close exposure to the capsule — for example, if someone were to pick it up and put it in their pocket — could have serious, even life-threatening, health effects within hours, Di Fulvio said.
Erythema, or redness of the skin, is believed to be among the earliest symptoms, and the severity of the effects increases dramatically with exposure time, she added.
According to the DFES, exposure to the radioactive substance could also cause radiation burns or radiation sickness.
Members of the Incident Management Team coordinate the search for a radioactive capsule that was lost in transit by a contractor hired by Rio Tinto, at the Emergency Services Complex in Cockburn, Australia.
Fire and Emergency Department via Reuters
Officials warned the public to stay at least 5 meters, or about 16 feet, away from him and not to touch him if they saw anything that could be the material.
Andrew Robertson, Western Australia’s health officer, said officials were concerned an unsuspecting party would pick up the object, not knowing what it is, and keep it, the AP reported.
It is also feared the capsule may have become lodged in the tire of another vehicle and is hundreds of miles from the search area, according to the AP.
The silver lining of the source falling unprotected is that search teams will likely be able to detect the radiation more easily and quickly, Di Fulvio said.
“I’m sure they’ll be able to find him,” she said.
A search is underway for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from a lorry being transported on a freight road on the outskirts of Perth, Australia, January 28, 2023. A mining company on Sunday apologized for losing the highly over an 870 mile stretch of Western Australia, as authorities scoured parts of the route for the tiny but dangerous substance.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services via AP
The capsule had been packed on January 10 to be sent to Perth for repair, and the package containing the capsule arrived in Perth on January 16, where it was unloaded and stored in the approved service provider’s secure radiation store, according to the DFES. .
When the gauge was unpacked for inspection on January 25, inspectors found the gauge to be broken, the DFES said. One of the four mounting bolts was missing, as was the radiation source itself and all of the gauge screws.
Police ruled the missing capsule case an accident and are unlikely to file criminal charges, the AP reported. An investigation will examine how the capsule was packaged and transported.
