The 8mm by 6mm capsule was found by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Association (ANSTO) in collaboration with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) about 50 kilometres from the mining town of Newman.
The item is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck while being taken from a mine to Perth on January 10.
The capsule was found two metres from the roadside on the Great Northern Highway by ANSTO’s radiation detection equipment which was mounted to the back of a van.
Authorities pinged the little capsule while driving at 70 km/h along the highway using technology that takes 360-degree images to pinpoint radiation in the area.
But authorities had to test the equipment before driving out into the vast Western Australian landscape.
So ANSTO staff performed drive-by test runs past the same level of radioactivity to figure out what speed and terrains would impact detection.
The efforts of the ANSTO team have been commended after the capsule had been missing for three weeks.
”For the team to find this missing source over a span of 1400km and in the formidable conditions of the outback after only being on the ground for two days, is not only a phenomenal feat, but a testament to Australia’s highly sophisticated nuclear capabilities and our people,” ANSTO group executive Dr Miles Apperley said.
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said finding a highly radioactive capsule the size of a button in the vast Western Australian landscape was a miracle.
”ANSTO’s expertise in nuclear technology played an absolute key role in detecting the equipment, having innovated the device which was ultimately used to find the coin-sized capsule on the roadside,” he said.
DFES Darryl Ray said finding the capsule wasn’t an act of luck, it was thanks to a team of specialists.
“As long as it was on a route we definitely were going to find this thing,” he said.
Mining giant Rio Tinto apologised on Tuesday for losing the radioactive capsule.
The truck transporting the capsule arrived at a Perth depot on January 16, but emergency services weren’t notified of the missing capsule for more than a week, on January 25.
People were earlier warned it could have unknowingly become lodged in their car’s tyres.
The caesium 137 ceramic source, commonly used in radiation gauges, emits dangerous amounts of radiation, the equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in an hour.
It could cause skin burns and prolonged exposure could cause cancer.
The capsule was removed from the side of the road yesterday before being stored in a secure location and transported to Perth in a lead container.
Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson said when the capsule arrives in Perth it will be taken to a secure facility where it will be stored until a decision on its disposal is made.
An investigation into how the capsule fell off the truck is ongoing.
