MELBOURNE: Rio Tinto Ltd. issued an apology on Monday for a tiny radioactive capsule that fell from a truck and triggered a radiation alert across Western Australia.
The radioactive capsule, a component of a gauge used to assess the iron ore feed's density, has likely been missing for some time. On January 12, a skilled contractor removed the gauge from Rio's Gudai-Darri mine site.
When the gauge was opened for inspection on January 25, it was discovered to be broken, with one of the mounting bolts missing and screws from the gauge missing.
The radioactive capsule from the gauge fell out of the package and then out of a gap in the truck, all of which were brought about by vibrations from the truck, according to the authorities.
Authorities are currently attempting to find the truck after it travelled more than 1,400 kilometres (870 miles), or the length of Great Britain, from Newman, a small town in the remote Kimberley region, to a storage facility in Perth's northeast suburbs.
"This incident is something we are treating seriously." "We regret the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community and acknowledge that this is obviously very concerning." Simon Trott, the head of Rio's iron ore division, made a statement.
The silver capsule, 6 millimeters (mm) in diameter and 8 mm long, contains caesium-137, which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.
The risk to the general public is low, but authorities advise people to keep at least five meters (16.5 feet) away because radiation exposure can result in radiation sickness or burns.
The state's emergency services department has created a hazard management team and brought in specialized tools, such as portable radiation survey meters that can be used from moving vehicles to detect radiation levels within a 20-meter radius.
Trott claimed that Rio had hired a third-party contractor with the necessary training and credentials to package and transport the gauge in a secure manner.
He added that Rio was also conducting its own investigation into how the loss occurred. "We have completed radiological surveys of all areas on site where the device had been and surveyed roads within the mine site as well as the access road leading away from the Gudai-Darri mine site," he said.
Analysts claimed that moving hazardous materials to and from mine sites was common practice, adding that these kinds of accidents are incredibly rare and do not signify lax safety practices on Rio Tinto's part. After destroying two prehistoric and sacred rock shelters in 2020 to make way for an iron ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region, the incident is yet another headache for the mining giant.