Three weeks ago, a radioactive capsule dropped off the back of a truck in the desert of Western Australia, leaving authorities baffled as to what went wrong during the 1400km voyage.
The general manager of Radiation Services WA, Lauren Steen, told The Project on Sunday that she has never heard of anything similar occurring and that it is a “once in a century event.”
She stated, “This is the most bizarre scenario I have ever encountered.”
The dangerous capsule is said to have fallen off the back of a truck en route from the Rio Tinto mine in Gudai Darri, Western Australia, to a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga.
People are baffled as to how the tiny, lethal capsule went missing throughout its 1400 kilometre journey.
Ms. Steen said that she had no idea how the 6mm by 8mm unit of hazardous material dropped off during shipping due to the stringent controls.
She stated that the capsules’ transport containers are intended to remain in place for 15 years.
Therefore, they are subjected to rigorous testing in order to be certified for vibrations and heat.
“You must be licensed in order to transport hazardous materials,” she added. “You must pass a state exam in order to obtain a license, and there are numerous chain of custody forms that must be filled out and maintained.”
Ms. Steen stated that anyone who picked up the capsule would suffer severe injury.
She explained that if the device was held in the hand for an extended amount of time, radiation burns and associated tissue damage would likely become apparent.
Authorities assume that a loose screw within the huge lead-lined gauge caused the unit to fall through a hole formed by the missing fastener.
An inquiry into the mystery incident has been initiated, but emergency services claim a lack of equipment hinders their attempts.
They have requested that the Commonwealth and other states send additional equipment, and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams equipped with radiation detecting instruments and metal detectors.
Ms. Steen stated that search workers are already conducting a meticulous foot search throughout the extended stretch of desert road.
General Manager of Radiation Services WA, Lauren Steen, stated that the capsules undergo thorough vibration and heat certification testing.
She stated, “They are using radiation survey equipment that is calibrated for the correct energies that the source would be emitting.”
Step by step, [they are] utilizing the technology and searching for signals that would be amplified if the source was in or nearby.
Superintendent Darryl Ray stated that search teams were focusing on densely populated regions north of Perth and crucial locations along 36 kilometers of the Great Northern Highway.
He told reporters on Saturday that they are not attempting to locate a microscopic device by sight alone.
The gamma rays are located with the use of radiation detectors.
Additionally, authorities are utilizing the truck’s GPS data to determine the exact path the driver took and where he stopped after leaving the mine around January 10.
Concerns exist that the solid capsule may have become trapped in the tire of another vehicle and be hundreds of kilometers distant from the search area.
Search personnel are focusing their efforts on inhabited regions north of Perth and strategic locations along the Great Northern Highway
Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson justified the WA government’s choice to delay informing the public on Friday by stating that the mine and depot had to be searched and ruled out, and the route had to be validated.
According to him, the capsule was packaged in line with radiation transit and safety requirements within a box that was secured to a pallet.
“We believe the vibration of the truck may have compromised the integrity of the gauge, causing it to fall apart and release the source,” he said.
It is uncommon for a gauge to separate as this one has.
An examination will examine the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mining site, the travel route, and the processes at the Perth depot after its January 16 arrival.
Authorities have ruled out theft at the depot prior to Wednesday’s opening of the package, citing the presence of tamper-resistant tape on the box.
The occurrence has been ruled an accident by the police, and no criminal charges are anticipated.
»Radiation expert calls WA radioactive capsule quest “bizarre.”«