Rio Tinto issues apology for losing radioactive capsule in Western Australia

Rio Tinto, the mining giant issued an apology on Monday (January 30) after a tiny radioactive capsule got lost, which caused panic and sparked a radiation alert across parts of the state of Western Australia. The loss of the device is believed to have taken place up to two weeks ago.

Authorities have launched an emergency search for the device. The device is reportedly about the size of a pea and can be located along the 1,400km route.

It is said that the radioactive capsule was lost after it apparently fell from a truck. News agencies have reported that the device was part of the gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed. The responsibility for the transport was given to a specialist contractor.

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Simon Trott, who is Rio's iron ore division chief, said in a statement: "We are taking this incident very seriously. We recognise this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community."

The task to locate the device is next to impossible as the search area is massive—from north of Newman to a storage facility in the northeast suburbs of Perth. Still, the authorities are confident that they will soon find it.

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Andrew Stuchbery, who runs the department of Nuclear Physics & Accelerator Applications at the Australian National University, said that the task is "not impossible" as searchers are equipped with radiation detectors

He said, "That's like if you dangled a magnet over a haystack, it's going to give you more of a chance."

He further added, "If the source just happened to be lying in the middle of the road you might get lucky...It's quite radioactive so if you get close to it, it will stick out."

How the radioactive capsule was lost?

This year on January 12, the gauge was picked up from Rio's Gudai-Darri mine site, but when it was opened for inspection on January 25, it was found broken apart.

Reports mentioned that one of four mounting bolts was missing and screws from the gauge were also not there.

It is suspected that the screws and the bolt could have become loose because of the vibrations from the truck, and the radioactive capsule from the gauge might have fallen out of the package and then out of a gap in the truck.

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What the device is capable of doing?

News agency Reuters reported that the silver capsule is about six millimetres in diameter and eight millimetres long. It contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.

Authorities have recommended people stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though they add that the risk to the general community is relatively low.

Authorities in the region have asked the resident to stay at least five metres away. The exposure can cause radiation burns or radiation sickness. However, the authorities have also said that the risk to the general community is relatively low.

Stuchbery said, "From what I have read, if you drive past it, the risk is equivalent to an X-ray. But if you stand next to it or you handle it, it could be very dangerous."

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