Missing radioactive capsule in Australia

Emergency officials in Western Australia warned that a tiny radioactive capsule was on the loose, with a harried hunt underway along a lengthy stretch of highway for what was essentially a toxic needle in a haystack.

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The capsule — which is less than a third of an inch long — went missing somewhere along the more than 800-mile stretch of road between Newman and Perth, the department said. It contains cesium-137, a radioactive material used in gauges for mining, one of the main industries in resource-rich Western Australia.

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“Exposure to this substance could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness,” it said, cautioning people not to touch it or move it if they come across it. Anyone who sees the capsule should stay at least five meters (16 feet) away from it and report it, the department said.

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Specialists are focusing on “strategic sites” along the route the truck took, Ray said, noting they were concentrating on high-population areas near Perth.

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Darryl Ray, acting head of the emergency department, said in a statement Sunday that officials had received specialized equipment to search for the capsule. The equipment will allow workers to look for the capsule while in a moving vehicle, and they plan to use it this week, he said.

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It’s possible the capsule has been missing for a couple of weeks. It departed the mine on Jan. 12 and was thought to have arrived on Jan. 16, but its disappearance was discovered Wednesday when it was missing from the package it was transported in, with the gauge inside “broken apart” with screws and a bolt missing, the department said. Officials said they believe the capsule fell off the back of a truck.

  WaPo

Fell off the back of a truck. Really? Is this how they ship something dangerous? On the back edge of an open truck? Bullshit. That is not what happened.  The gauge mysteriously broke, sending screws and a bolt - and the dangerous capsule - flying?  Bullshit.  That is not what happened.  Could they not come up with a more believable story?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 02/01/2023:

They found it.  So they say that's where they found it.