Fire and Emergency Services official says capsule left Rio Tinto mine site on 10 January but was not found missing for 15 days
Western Australian authorities are scrambling to find a missing radioactive capsule that is a fraction of the size of a 10c coin, conceding it was not found missing until more than two weeks after it left a Rio Tinto mine site.
The 8mm by 6mm capsule is a 19-becquerel caesium 137 ceramic source, commonly used in radiation gauges, and was supposed to be contained in a secure device which had been “damaged” on a truck which travelled from the mine site north of Newman in the Pilbara to a depot in Perth.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
