Authorities in Australia announced Wednesday that they have found a radioactive capsule that went missing last week. BBC.
West Australian officials say emergency services have been found to be a “needle in a haystack”.
A massive search was launched after the item went missing while being transported 1,400 kilometers across Western Australia.
Mining giant Rio Tinto has apologized for the device being lostIt would have posed a serious hazard if it had been tampered with.
The capsule, containing a small amount of radioactive cesium-137, is about 6 millimeters in diameter and 8 millimeters high. The piece of equipment is believed to have fallen from a truck as it was being transported between a desert mine north of Newman City and Perth.
The device was last seen on January 10 and the truck carrying the capsule arrived at a warehouse in Perth on January 16.
A source of cesium 137 emits dangerous amounts of radiation, equivalent to taking 10 X-rays in one hour. It can cause skin burns and prolonged exposure can cause cancer.
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