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Radioactive capsule that fell off truck located in Australia

The capsule the size of a pea could cause skin burns and prolonged exposure could cause cancer, officials said.

AP

Australian authorities search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen off a truck being transported on a freight route on the outskirts of Perth, Australia on January 28, 2023.

Authorities in Western Australia have recovered a tiny but dangerous radioactive capsule that fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) highway last month in what an official said was like finding the needle in the haystack.

The capsule the size of a pea was found south of Newman on the Great Northern Highway, officials said on Wednesday.

It was detected by a search vehicle travelling at 70 kilometres per hour when specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the capsule.

Portable search equipment was then used to locate it 2 metres (6.5 feet) from the side of the road.

"This is an extraordinary result ... they have quite literally found the needle in the haystack," said Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson.

Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said the capsule did not appear to have moved and no injuries had been reported.

It contains the caesium 137 ceramic source, commonly used in radiation gauges, which emits dangerous amounts of radiation, equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in an hour.

It could cause skin burns and prolonged exposure could cause cancer.

Search crews had spent six days scouring the entire length of the highway.

The capsule measures 8 millimetres by 6 millimetres (0.31 inches by 0.24 inches), and people have been warned it could have unknowingly become lodged in their car's tires.

A government investigation has been launched into how the capsule fell off the truck and a report will be provided to the health minister.

Defence officials were verifying the identification of the capsule, which has been placed into a lead container for safety. It will be stored in a secure location in Newman before being transported to a health facility in the city of Perth.

The capsule got lost while being transported between a desert mine site and Perth on January 10. The truck transporting the capsule arrived at a Perth depot on January 16. Emergency services were notified of the missing capsule on January 25.

The chief executive of the mining giant Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Simon Trott, has apologised for the incident.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies