Tiny radioactive capsule goes missing in Western Australia
It was being transported on a truck between a mine site north of Newman in the Pilbara region and the north-eastern parts of Perth between 10-16 January when it was mislaid. Caesium-137 is a substance commonly used in mining operations.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has said the capsule can't be weaponised but could cause radiation burns and have other longer-term risks like cancer.
Dr Andrew Robertson, Western Australia's Chief Health Officer and Radiological Council Chair, has said the object emits a "reasonable" amount of radiation.
"Our concern is that someone will pick it up, not knowing what it is," he said. "They may think it is something interesting and keep it, or keep it in their room, keep it in their car, or give it to someone."
The sites where the transportation began and ended have been searched and efforts are under way to figure out the exact route and stops that were made between the two points to narrow down the field of search.
