An extremely radioactive capsule has been misplaced in Australia.
Touching it could lead to skin burns or ‘acute radiation system’ if handled over a period of time.
The capsule was lost while being transported between mines in Newman and Perth.
Authorities believe vibrations along the route had caused a bolt from the container it was being transported in to be displaced.
The capsule would have then fallen through the hole and off the flat bed truck transporting the radioactive material.
Although the journey began earlier this month, the capsule was not reported missing until Wednesday.
Andrew Robertson, chief health officer for Western Australia, told a press conference: ‘Our concern is that somebody will pick it up, not knowing what it is, think, “Oh, this is something interesting”, and put it in their room, keep it in the car, give it to somebody else, not knowing what they’re actually dealing with.
‘So our concern is to really bring it to the public’s attention.
‘Now that is probably low risk because it may well have been lost on the side of the road and may not be found by anybody.’
Mr Robertson said the capsule, which measures about six millimetres in diameter and eight millimetres high, emits a ‘reasonable amount of radiation’.
He said: ‘It emits around two millisieverts per hour of radiation. So this is a source that we have to be very careful of. Now what is two millisieverts, people, it’s around receiving ten x-rays in an hour.
‘Just to put it into context and two millisieverts is also the amount of natural radiation we would receive in a year just by walking around.
‘So if you have contact or have it close to you, you could either end up with skin damage, including skin burns over a period of time. And if you have it long enough near you, it could cause what’s known as acute radiation sickness, now that will take a period of time.’
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