Deadly Radioactive Capsule lost

Australia – An 8mm by 6mm silver capsule, no larger than a coin, is said to be lost along a section of huge desert roadway in Australia’s largest state. Finding it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Rio Tinto, a mining corporation, apologized and said it was helping the state government’s search for the capsule, which contains Caesium-137, a highly radioactive material used in mining machinery.

The device was discovered in the isolated Gudai-Darri mine site in northern Western Australia, where it remained until it was picked up by a contractor to be transported south to the state capital, Perth. Rio Tinto said it had inspected all routes leading to and leaving the area.

The capsule, which emits both gamma and beta radiation, is thought to have fallen from a vehicle, according to authorities.