Radioactive capsule search continues in WA as radiation expert calls the ... trends now
A radioactive capsule that fell off the back of a truck in the West Australian outback three weeks ago has left authorities scratching their heads on what went wrong during the 1400km journey.
General Manager of Radiation Services WA Lauren Steen told The Project on Sunday she's never heard of something like this happening before and has called it a 'one in a hundred year event'.
'It's the most bizarre scenario that I have ever come across before', she said.
The capsule which posses serious public risks, is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck during transit from Gudai Darri, West Australian Rio Tinto mine to a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga.
The incident has left people scratching their heads on how the tiny but deadly capsule was lost during its 1400km transit
When hosts of the Channel Ten show asked how the 6mm by 8mm unit of hazardous material fell off during transport, Ms Steen replied that she has no idea because the regulations are extremely tight.
'The casings that [the capsules] travel in are meant to be there for 15 years,' she said.
'So they're placed against rigorous testing to be certified for vibrations and heat.
'You have to be licensed [to transport hazardous materials],' she explained, 'you have to pass the state exam in order to obtain a license and there's many chain of custody forms that need to be filled out and looked after.'
Ms Steen said if anyone picked up the capsule it would cause significant harm.
'What you'd probably start to notice is that if it was in your hand for a substantial period of time, you'd start to notice some radiation burns and then some tissue damage around the surrounding area,' she said.
WA Authorities said the the small silver cylinder (left) is similar to the size of an Australia 10 cent coin (right)
Authorities suspect a screw came loose inside the large lead-lined gauge it was contained in, causing the unit to fall through a hole left by the missing fastener.
An investigation into the mysterious incident has been launched
