Emergency search for toxic radioactive capsule lost in Australia

The emergency services of Western Australia, the largest state in the oceanic country, were maintaining an intense search on Saturday to locate a toxic capsule lost during its transfer to the regional capital, Perth, which led to the issuance of a "radioactive substance risk" alert".

The tiny capsule, 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm high, contains a "small amount" of the radioactive substance Cesium-137, used in mining, and "disappeared during transport between a mine" north of the town of Newman and north-east Perth between January 10 and 16, the Western Australia Department of Health explained in a note published on Friday.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued an alert to residents of various areas of Australia's largest state and warned about the risks of exposure to this toxic substance, which include "radiation burns or radiation sickness", like cancer.

"The capsule is small (6mm in diameter and 8mm high), round and silver. The risk to the general community is relatively low, however it is important to be aware of the risks and know what to do if you see the capsule," the alert said.

The agency warned that, in case of sighting any suspicious material, people should keep at least five meters away, not touch it, not keep it in bags or backpacks and not take it to their cars, but report it "immediately" to the authorities.

The teams working in the search for the radioactive capsule do not know at the moment the exact point where the capsule was lost, since the town of Newman is located about 1,400 kilometers away from the northeast of Perth, the final destination of the truck that was transporting it.

The statement also said that the toxic material was packaged on January 10 and the vehicle arrived in Perth six days later, but it was not until the 25th that cargo inspectors realized that one of the packages was torn and one of those tiny capsules had been lost on the way.