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 but emergency services who say they are hampered in their efforts by a lack of equipment. They have called on the Commonwealth and other states to provide more equipment, whilst teams with handheld radiation detection devices and metal detectors have been deployed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Ms Steen said search crews are now carrying out a painstaking foot survey along the lengthy stretch of dessert road. General Manager of Radiation Services WA Lauren Steen (pictured) said the capsules undergo rigorous testing to be certified for vibrations and heat 'They're using radiation survey equipment that's calibrated for the right energies that the source would be giving out,' she said. 'Doing it step by step, [they're] using the equipment and looking for the signals that would be elevated if it was in or around the source.' Superintendent Darryl Ray said search teams were concentrating on populated areas north of Perth and strategic sites along 36km of the busy freight route down the Great Northern Highway. 'What we're not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight', he told reporters on Saturday. 'We're using the radiation detectors to locate the gamma rays.' Authorities are also using the truck's GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where it stopped after it left the mine on or about January 10. There are concerns the solid capsule may have already become lodged in another vehicle's tyre and potentially be hundreds of kilometres away from the search area. Search crews are concentrating on populated areas north of Perth and strategic sites along the Great Northern Highway (pictured) Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson defended the WA government's decision to wait two days to inform the public on Friday, saying the mine and depot had to be searched and excluded, and the route confirmed. He said the capsule was packed in accordance with the radiation safety transport and regulations inside a box bolted onto a pallet. 'We believe the vibration of the truck may have impacted the integrity of the gauge, that it fell apart and the source actually came out of it,' he said. 'It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has.' An investigation will look at the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mine site, the transport route used and the procedures at the depot in Perth after it arrived on January 16. Authorities have ruled out theft at the depot before the box was opened on Wednesday, saying there was anti-tampering tape on the box. Police have determined the incident to be an accident and no criminal charges are likely. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility