Enlarge image
Rescuers from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services search for the radioactive capsule in Western Australia
Photo:
Evan Collis / dpa
In Australia, the search for a tiny radioactive capsule is in full swing.
The authorities in the state of Western Australia are now also using new radiation detection devices that can be attached to vehicles.
Fire and rescue teams had previously searched the busy freight route with portable radiation and metal detectors.
In addition, British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto apologized for the incident.
The millimeter-sized capsule had apparently fallen from a truck while being transported from a mine north of the mining town of Newman to a depot near the city of Perth - according to the latest information, sometime after January 12 and somewhere along the 1400-kilometer route.
The fact that the capsule was missing was not noticed until Wednesday, January 25, when the truck was unloaded.
Late on Friday (local time), the Western Australia State Department of Health informed the public about the incident.
"We take this incident very seriously," Australian broadcaster ABC quoted Simon Trott, head of Rio Tinto's iron ore division, as saying on Monday.
The corporation operates the Gudai Darri mine, from where the capsule was transported.
"We recognize that this is clearly a matter of great concern and we apologize for the alarm it has caused among the people of Western Australia."
Rio Tinto hired a third party with the expertise and certification to securely package the dangerous capsule in preparation for shipment.
The company also launched its own investigation to find out how she could have disappeared.
According to reports, a bolt in the truck probably came loose due to vibrations while driving - and the capsule then fell through the bolt hole.
It is not yet clear why it was not secured better.
The loss of the capsule containing the highly radioactive cesium-137, measuring just six by eight millimetres, had caused great concern among the authorities in Western Australia given the very dangerous material.
Anyone who discovers something that looks like a tiny capsule should keep a distance of at least five meters, they said.
The capsule emits "a fair amount of radiation," said the region's health officer, Andrew Robertson.
Within a radius of one meter, this is about as high as ten X-rays within one hour - or the amount of natural radiation that a person is exposed to over a whole year.
Anyone who comes close to the capsule could "suffer skin damage, including skin burns".
aar/dpa
