Video Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation – 28/01/2023
A small radioactive capsule has been lost in Western Australia, described as a “bizarre, one-in-100-year event.” The capsule was part of a radiation gauge used in the mining industry. The gauge was packaged and transported from the Rio Tinto mine site on January 11 and arrived in a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga on January 16. However, it wasn’t until January 25 that authorities were notified that the radioactive capsule was missing after it was unpacked for inspection. Authorities believe it fell through a hole where a bolt had been dislodged after a container collapsed inside the truck. The capsule is considered a health hazard and Western Australia’s Chief Health Officer, Andy Robertson, has warned the community not to handle the device if they come across it.