Radioactive capsule missing

2023 - 1 - 28

western australian radioactive capsule incident

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Missing radioactive capsule: WA officials admit it was weeks before ... (The Guardian)

Fire and Emergency Services official says capsule left Rio Tinto mine site on 10 January but was not found missing for 15 days.

“If you are further than five metres away from the source, certainly if you are more than 20 metres away from the source, it will pose no danger to you,” he said. “Rio Tinto was informed of the missing capsule by a contractor on January 25,” a spokesman said. “If you see it [or] identify it, move away from the source, contact 13DFES and report it. “We have continued the search on strategic sites along the route that the vehicle had taken, concentrating on sites close to high-population areas within the metropolitan suburbs,” he said. “If it were kept long enough and they were exposed long enough, they could also have some acute effects, including impacts on their immune system and the gastrointestinal system.” “What we are not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight.

What we know about the tiny radioactive capsule that's gone missing ... (SBS)

Authorities continue to search for a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule from a Rio Tinto mine after it disappeared on a 1400km journey across the ...

Credit: Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA An investigation will look at the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mine site, the transport route used and the procedures at the depot in Perth after it arrived on 16 January. "If you have contact or close to you, you could either end up with skin damage, including skin burns ... "We believe the vibration of the truck may have impacted the integrity of the gauge, that it fell apart and the source actually came out of it," he said, Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to "package the capsule and transport it safely" to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday. An urgent search continues for the 8 by 6 millimetre unit that is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck on its 1,400 kilometre journey from Newman to a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga.

Search underway for missing radioactive capsule in Western Australia (CNN)

Officials have warned the public of the risks in touching a small capsule containing a radioactive substance that was lost during transportation in Western ...

Andrew Robertson, chief health officer and Radiological Council chair, in a statement on Friday. “We are also combing roads and other areas in the search zone.” However, risk to the general community is relatively low, officials said. “Do not touch or pick it up. Australia’s Department of Health has warned of the material’s serious health consequences. Western Australia police notified DFES and the Hazard Management Agency that evening.

Tiny radioactive capsule lost in Australia triggers search (Associated Press)

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Western Australia were searching for a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule that got lost while being ...

Robertson previously said the unit emits the equivalent of 10 X-rays in an hour and members of the public should stay at least 5 meters (16 feet) away. “It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has.” An investigation will look at the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mine site, the transport route used and the procedures at the depot in Perth after it arrived on Jan. Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to package the capsule and transport it “safely” to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday. It is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck on a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) journey from the Rio Tinto mine in Newman to the the Perth suburb of Malaga. PERTH, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Western Australia were searching for a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule that got lost while being transported on a truck from a mine to a depot in the city of Perth, officials said Saturday.

Radioactive capsule missing in Australia after falling off mining truck (Sky News)

The tiny unit, which is smaller than a penny, fell off a vehicle transporting material from a mine deep in the state of Western Australia to a storage ...

They are concerned the capsule could have lodged in another vehicle's tyre and could be hundreds of miles away from the search area. "It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has." The Western Australia government waited two days to inform the public on Friday. The unit emits the equivalent of 10 X-rays in an hour and members of the public should stay at least 16ft away from it, state authorities said. The small silver cylinder contains caesium-137, a highly radioactive isotope which experts say cannot be weaponised. The 8mm by 6mm unit, smaller than a penny, is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck on a 22-mile (35km) stretch of road in Western Australia as it was being transported from the Rio Tinto mine in Newman to the Perth suburb of Malaga.

Search underway for radioactive capsule missing in Australia (Reuters Australia)

Parts of Western Australia were under a radiation alert on Saturday after authorities said a radioactive capsule used in mining was lost en-route to the ...

12 but the capsule was not discovered missing until this week, which was when emergency services were alerted, according to authorities. "The substance is used within gauges in mining operations. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Tiny radioactive capsule that was lost in Australia triggers search (CBS News)

Police have determined the incident to be an accident and no criminal charges are likely.

Robertson previously said the unit emits the equivalent of 10 X-rays in an hour and members of the public should stay at least 5 meters (16 feet) away. "It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has." An investigation will look at the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mine site, the transport route used and the procedures at the depot in Perth after it arrived on Jan. Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to package the capsule and transport it "safely" to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday. It is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck on a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) journey from the Rio Tinto mine in Newman to the the Perth suburb of Malaga. [Australia](https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/australia/) were searching for a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule that got lost while being transported on a truck from a mine to a depot in the city of Perth, officials said Saturday.