Retrieved in 6 days following sweeping the road
A radioactive material capsule lost on a 1,400km highway crossing western Australia was found following six days of searching. Western Australia’s Emergency Response Minister Stephen Dawson said on the 1st (local time), “I literally found a needle in the sandy beach,” and released a picture of a capsule next to gravel on the road (photo).
The capsule in question is used for a density meter for mines by mining company Rio Tinto, and is only 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm in length, but contains the radioactive material cesium-137. Two days following the loss was discovered on the 25th, the Australian authorities sent an emergency text message to the public, warning that “if you get close to it, you can suffer skin damage such as burns.” Western Australia Health Commissioner Andy Robertson explained, “If you stay within a 1m radius of the capsule for 1 hour, you will be exposed to radiation equivalent to 10 X-rays.”
On the 26th of last month, the Australian authorities urgently convened experts in nuclear power, protection, and emergency management and launched an emergency operation to search the road that runs from Seoul to Busan (450 km) three times. They rode a special radiation detection vehicle and ran at 70 km/h, sweeping the road. On the 1st, at a point regarding 200km away from the mine, the moment the detection amount increased, the agents stopped the car and searched the roadside with portable detection equipment, and found the capsule regarding 2m away from the road.
It is estimated that the capsule fell through the cracks in the vehicle following the bolts of the truck storage box that contained the density meter loosened due to vibration during operation. Simon Trott, CEO of Rio Tinto, said he would pay for the search if the government requested it. At a press conference on the 1st, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanage said, “We will raise the level of punishment for those who fail to safely handle radioactive materials.”
Reporter Jungsoo Hong [email protected]
