Saudi Interior Ministry enforces penalties for unauthorized Hajj attempts    L'Oréal Saudi Arabia inaugurates 'L'Oréal for the Future' summit in Jeddah to empower Saudi women and promote sustainable growth    Gaza kitchens warn food will run out in days after two months of Israeli blockade    Al Ahli eye maiden continental crown in historic AFC Champions League Elite final    Mahrez targets historic treble with AFC Champions League Elite title    Al Somah extends his legendary lead as Saudi Pro League's all-time top scorer    US songwriter Jill Sobule dies in house fire    Saudi Arabia fines eight foreign trucks for illegal goods transport in April    Defense minister attends elite special forces exercise in Northwestern Region    Saudi Arabia releases updated GDP data highlighting expanded non-oil sector contribution    Saudi Arabia to showcase culinary heritage at Taste of Paris 2025    Donald Trump looms large over Australia's election    GAMI is organizing Saudi pavilion at Athens International Defense and Security Exhibition    PIF announces pricing of $1.25 billion international sukuk offering    Businesses count costs as India and Bangladesh impose trade restrictions    Israel fires largely controlled after mass evacuations    New Parkinson's Pump therapy introduced at King's College Hospital London in Dubai First-of-its-kind treatment offers a new lease on life for the youngest Parkinson's patient in the UAE and MENA region    King Charles sends heartfelt message to fellow cancer patients    Al Nassr crash out as Kawasaki Frontale reach AFC Champions League Elite final    Saudi Transplant Congress discusses scientific advancements and innovations on organ donation and transplantation    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Missing radioactive capsule found on remote road in Australia
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 02 - 2023

Authorities scanning a remote Australian highway for a tiny missing radioactive capsule have found it by the roadside, after a challenging search likened to trying to find a needle in a haystack.
State emergency authorities announced the discovery on Wednesday afternoon, six days after the capsule, containing highly radioactive Caesium-137, was discovered missing from a package sent hundreds of kilometers from a Rio Tinto mining site in northern Western Australia to the capital Perth.
"Locating this object was a monumental challenge – the search groups have quite literally found the needle in the haystack," state Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in a news conference Wednesday.
The capsule's disappearance sparked a massive search of the highway with specialized radiation detection units – and prompted warnings to the public not to approach the capsule, which could cause serious burns on contact with skin.
Authorities believe the capsule – about 8 millimeters high and 6 millimeters round – somehow fell off the back of a truck as it was being transported 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) along the Great Northern Highway from the mine.
Rio Tinto, which had been using the device in a gauge at its Gudai-Darri iron ore mine, said it regularly transports and stores dangerous goods as part of its business and hires expert contractors to handle radioactive materials.
In a statement Wednesday, Chief Executive Simon Trott said the company was "incredibly grateful" for the work undertaken to find the capsule and once again apologized to the community for its loss.
"While the recovery of the capsule is a great testament to the skill and tenacity of the search team, the fact is it should never have been lost in the first place," he said. "We are taking this incident very seriously and are undertaking a full and thorough investigation into how it happened."
Authorities said the missing capsule was detected at 11:13 a.m. local time Wednesday, two meters from the road just south of the small town of Newman by crews using radiation detection equipment.
Officials said a 20-meter exclusion zone had been set up around the capsule, and it would be transferred to a lead container before being taken to a security facility in Newman.
On Thursday it would start its journey south again – this time to a health department facility in Perth.
Chief Health Officer and Chair of the Radiological Council Andrew Robertson said it doesn't appear that anyone was exposed to the capsule's radiation during the time it was missing.
"It does not appear to have moved – it appears to have fallen off the track and landed on the side of the road. It is remote enough that it's not in any major community so it is unlikely that anybody has been exposed to the capsule," he said.
The Department of Emergency Services WA (DFES) raised the alarm on Friday, alerting residents to the presence of a radioactive spill in the state, including in the northeastern suburbs of Perth, home to about 2 million people.
According to authorities, the capsule was placed inside a package on January 10 and collected from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine site by a contractor on January 12.
The vehicle spent four days on the road and arrived in Perth on January 16 but it was only unloaded for inspection on January 25 – when it was discovered the capsule was missing.
The incident came as a shock to experts who said that handling of radioactive materials like Caesium-137 is highly regulated with strict protocols for its transport, storage and disposal. — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.