SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Australian authorities on Wednesday found a radioactive capsule that was lost in the vast Outback after nearly a week-long search along a 1,400 km (870-mile) stretch of highway. The capsule was taken to a secure facility in Perth. The radioactive capsule was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed from Rio Tinto's Gudai-Darri mine in the state's remote Kimberley region. The silver capsule, 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.
[...] Officials from Western Australia's emergency response department, defence authorities, radiation specialists and others have been combing the a stretch of highway for the tiny capsule that was lost in transit more than two weeks ago.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Username on Wednesday February 01, @03:34PM (1 child)
I assume detection equipment means survey meter sticking out the side of a car.
40mph still pretty fast to get a hit. Surprised they found it while driving. Probably found 10 other radiation sources as well, but never made the news.
I was thinking it would have been interesting if some rockhound with nothing to do found it first and kept it as part of their collection. Wonder how long they would have kept searching.
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Wednesday February 01, @07:04PM
>40mph still pretty fast to get a hit
I doubt it.
I mean, they said to stay at least 17 feet away to avoid radiation burns, with just driving past at highway speeds being enough to deliver an estimated radiation dosage comparable to an X-ray (100's of millions of photons worth). That thing has got to be glowing like a frigging bank of stadium lights in the gamma spectrum. I'm surprised they took as long to find it as they did.