Lost deadly, highly radioactive capsule found in Western Australia

A highly radioactive and possibly deadly capsule was found on Wednesday on a remote road in Western Australia near the city of Newman.

In a statement, local fire and emergency authorities confirmed that it was located by emergency services using a vehicle search crew with specialized radiation equipment, which closed on "a large-scale interagency search for the missing object,"

The Rio Tinto Anglo-Australian mining corporation declared on Monday that it lost a cesium-137 capsule in the area after it fell off a truck transporting it from a mine in the Pilbara region to the capital city of Perth.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm stated "We have essentially found the needle in the haystack," and added that the 6 by 8 mm capsule is used in mining equipment, and measures smaller than a coin.

Extended contact with the capsule, according to experts, could potentially result in burns, radiation disease, and cancer. Radiation Services WA, a firm specializing in radiation protection advice, says standing just 1 meter away from the capsule for an hour would deliver around 1.6 millisieverts (mSv), which amounts to almost 17 standard chest X-rays.

It also added that picking it up would cause “serious damage” to fingers and surrounding tissue.

The 8mm x 6mm capsule was meant to be contained in a secure device. During the delivery from the mine site in Pilbara to a depot in Perth the device was reported to be "damaged" on the truck.