PERTH, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Western Australia were searching for a tiny but potentially deadly radioactive capsule that got lost while being transported on a truck from a mine to a depot in the city of Perth, officials said Saturday. Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to package the capsule and transport it “safely” to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday. He said the capsule was packed in accordance with the radiation safety transport and regulations inside a box bolted onto a pallet. Contact could result in skin damage, burns and radiation sickness, including impacts to the immune and the gastrointestinal systems. Long-term exposure could also cause cancer, however, experts say the capsule cannot be weaponized.

Source: Huffington Post January 29, 2023 11:16 UTC