The search continues in Australia for the tiny radioactive capsule lost in a truck trip from a western mine to Perth.
The container, which is only 8 mm long and 6 mm in diameter, is filled with caesium-137, a substance which is particularly dangerous due to its radiation (equivalent to 10 X-rays per hour). Close exposure can cause burns and severe discomfort.
It is no coincidence that the Australian authorities have asked the population to keep a distance of at least five meters and to leave as quickly as possible if the capsule is found by private individuals. On the other hand, there should be no dangerous exposure to a person driving by in a car, as it is likely to happen.
It is believed that the vibrations of the road while driving disassembled the container used to measure the amount of iron at Rio Tinto’s Guinai-Marri mine, which contained the capsule in question that was inside at the time of the fact was found with the screws and bolts removed.
The search is particularly difficult as the truck has traveled more than 1,400 kilometers from the mine in the northwest to the Perth suburb where the destination warehouse is located. Combing all the way from north to south, authorities are involving several state agencies in the operation: the police, the Department of Defense, the Organization for Nuclear and Technological Science, and the Agency for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety.
According to the first official information, the authorities hope to be able to check the entire journey, currently 660 km, within five days.