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The ridiculous mistake behind Australia’s missing radioactive capsule is exposed, as the mining giant responsible issues a slavish apology.
- Radioactive capsule missing from Western Aus
- It is believed that it fell from the truck that was transporting it.
- The screws and gauge holding the capsule had come loose.
- Rio Tinto apologized for the mistake
A broken indicator and missing screws are to blame for the disappearance of a dangerous radioactive capsule somewhere in Western Australia.
A package containing the tiny, but potentially deadly, 6mm by 8mm capsule arrived at a Perth warehouse on January 16, where it was then loaded into a secure radiation warehouse.
But an inspection on January 25 found that the capsule was missing: the gauge had been broken and all the screws and one of the four mounting bolts were missing.
A broken indicator and missing screws are to blame for the disappearance of a dangerous radioactive capsule that was lost somewhere in Western Australia (in the photo, the authorities are looking for the capsule)
WA authorities said the capsule (left) is similar to the size of an Australian dime (right)
Emergency services and the Risk Management Agency were notified that night, and authorities believed the capsule may have fallen from the truck carrying it from the Newman Rio Tinto mine to the WA capital.
The capsule was packed at the mine on January 10 and could have been dropped at any time during the 1,400 km journey from Rio Tinto to the Perth depot.
People living in parts of the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions have been warned that they are at risk from the radioactive substance.
People exposed to it can suffer radiation burns or radiation sickness, including impacts on the immune and gastrointestinal systems.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams with portable radiation detection devices (above) and metal detectors to try to track the capsule.
Prolonged exposure can cause cancer, as the capsule emits the same amount of radiation as 10 X-rays in one hour.
It comes as the chief executive of mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Simon Trott, apologized for the mistake and said the company was taking the incident very seriously.
“We recognize that this is clearly very concerning and we are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community,” Trott said on Sunday.
“In addition to fully supporting the relevant authorities, we have launched our own investigation to understand how the capsule was lost in transit.”
Rio Tinto said it had hired a handler with expertise in radioactive materials to pack the capsule and transport it “safely” to the depot.
The urgent search continues for an eight-by-six-millimeter radioactive capsule believed to have fallen from the back of a mining truck sometime between January 12 and 16 (pictured, authorities are searching for the missing unit)
Authorities are using the truck’s GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where he stopped after leaving the mine on January 12.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams with portable radiation detection devices and metal detectors along 36km of the busy freight route, but the entire 1,400km journey may need to be recorded.
Western Australian emergency services have asked other Australian states and the federal government for support in finding the capsule, as they lack equipment.
Authorities fear that it could have unknowingly lodged itself in the tires of drivers’ cars and been transported elsewhere.
Police determined the incident was an accident and criminal charges are not likely, while theft at the warehouse was also ruled out.
The Australian Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is now assisting the Western Australian government in locating the capsule.