Tiny radioactive capsule lost somewhere on road found after three weeks

A tiny radioactive capsule, smaller than a ten cent coin, has been found three weeks after it went missing along a massive stretch of road.

The radioactive capsule after its discovery. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

A tiny radioactive capsule lost in the outback has been found three weeks after it went missing.

The capsule – which could fit onto a 10 cent piece – came loose during transportation from north of the Pilbara mining town of Newman to the Perth suburb of Malaga sometime between January 10 and January 16.

There were fears that long-term exposure to the item could cause cancer.

However, it has now been found after a search along a 1000km stretch of road - and it was just two metres from the roadside, not far from where it started its journey at a Rio Tinto mine.

“The search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack,” WA Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said.

The radioactive capsule after its discovery. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

This exact spot where it was found. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

The small, round, silver capsule, 6mm in diameter and 8mm high, is used within gauges in mining operations and contains a small quantity of radioactive Caesium-137.

But chief health officer Andrew Robertson said despite its size, the capsule contained “quite a large radiation dose”.

Dr Robertson said it was like “receiving around 10 X-rays an hour … the amount of natural radiation we would receive in a year just by walking around”.

He warned people against picking it up, saying more severe health conditions including cancer could stem from prolonged exposure.

A Rio Tinto spokesperson confirmed that the missing capsule was lost by an expert radioactive materials handler.

Rio Tinto was working with the Radiological Council, the contractors and emergency services to assist the search.

The radioactive capsule is smaller than a 10c coin. Picture: DFES

The capsule was potentially somewhere between Gudai-Darri Airstrip and the Perth suburb of Malaga. Picture: Google Maps

DFES Acting Superintendent Darryl Ray told reporters on Saturday firefighters would be using GPS data from the truck used to transport the capsule to find where it might have fallen from the vehicle.

“What we're not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight,” said Mr Ray, who said they would be using a device that could detect the radiation from the capsule within 20 metres.

Acting Superintendent Ray also gave more details on the movements of the capsule before it was noticed missing.

Emergency services were searching for the radioactive object. Picture: DFES

It was packed onto a pallet at Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine site on January 10, with the pallet loaded onto the back of a semi-trailer and left the site for Perth between January 11-14.

It arrived at a radiation service company in the northern suburb of Malaga on January 16, but the capsule wasn’t noticed missing until the pallet was unpacked on Wednesday, when the alarm was raised.

DFES said while risk to the community was relatively low, exposure to the substance could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness.

“People could end up developing redness of the skin, and eventually burns from beta radiation. If it's kept long enough there could be more acute effects, including effects on their immune system and on their gastrointestinal system,” said Dr Robertson.

Originally published as Tiny radioactive capsule lost somewhere on road found after three weeks