Brisbane, Australia
CNN
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A small missing radioactive capsule is discovered beside a remote highway in the West Australia It raises many questions – not least of which is how it survived layers of radiation-resistant packaging loaded onto a moving truck.
It’s one of many puzzling aspects of any case that case investigators will dig into in the coming weeks as they try to piece together a timeline of the capsule’s movements from Jan. 12, when it was packed for transport, to Feb. 1, when the recovery team discovered it. On the road side.
The capsule—just 8 millimeters by 6 millimeters—was used in a pipe-mounted density meter at the Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in Rio Tinto to measure material flow through a feeder.
Rio Tinto said in a statement on Monday that the capsule was packed for transit to Perth, 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) away, with its presence inside the package confirmed by a Geiger counter before it was transported by a third party contractor.
Normally, the journey would take more than 12 hours by road, but after about two hours, the capsule exited the vehicle as it was traveling south, and somehow crossed one lane of traffic, hitting 2 meters (6.5 feet) off the north side. from the two-lane highway.
Lauren Stein, general manager of Radiation Services WA, a consulting firm that writes radiation management plans, said industry insiders were just as baffled as the public when they heard the capsule was missing.
“The whole team was scratching our heads. We couldn’t figure out what happened,” said Steen, whose company was not involved in his disappearance.
“If the source is placed in an approved package and transported in accordance with all requirements of the Code of Practice, then this is a very unlikely event – one in a million,” she said.
The truck believed to be carrying the capsule arrived in Perth on January 16, four days after it left the Godai Dare iron ore mine. But it wasn’t until January 25th, when SGS Australia workers went to unload the scale for inspection, that it was discovered to be missing.
In a statement, SGS Australia said it was hired by Rio Tinto to pack the capsule but had nothing to do with its transportation, which was carried out by a “specialist carrier”.
“We carried out the contracted service of packing the equipment at the mine site and unloading it after transportation using qualified personnel for our clients in accordance with all standards and regulations.”
“Transportation of the package, which was organized by our client and delegated to a specialist carrier, was not within the scope of SGS services. Our staff noticed the loss of source in our Perth laboratory upon opening the package and immediately reported this incident.”
The name of the company contracted to transport the parcel was not disclosed.
The missing capsule launched a six-day search along the Great Northern Highway. Then on Wednesday morning, a vehicle with special equipment heading south of the small town of Newman detected a higher radiation reading. Then the portable devices were used to sharpen the capsule placed in the dirt.
In Australia, each state has its own laws regarding the handling of radioactive material and codes of practice that comply with guidelines set by the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), a government body that works closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization .
In Western Australia, the rules are governed by the Radiation Safety Act 1975, which Steen says is a long overdue review. “It hasn’t been rewritten since the ’70s, so I think that kind of speaks for itself,” she said.
Advances in technology over the past decades have made it safer to use radiation sources inside mining equipment — and because it was safer, the devices have been used more frequently, Steen said. As of 2021, more There were 150 projects working in Western Australiathe center of the country’s mining exports, according to the state’s Chamber of Minerals and Energy.
Under the Radiation Safety Act of 1975, only specially trained and licensed operators can pack radioactive materials, Steen said, but different rules apply to contractors hired to transport them.
“Any transport company can transport radioactive materials, provided they have obtained a license to do so,” she said.
By law, a license can be obtained by attending a one-day course and passing an exam approved and approved by the regulator.
The transportation plan submitted to the organizer must be supervised by the licensee but does not have to personally supervise the flight. There are no rules about the type of vehicles used for transportation.
Steen clearly says something went wrong – and she hopes the results of the investigation can be shared with the radiation community so they can avoid such problems in the future.
The discussion has already begun about the need for tougher penalties — in Western Australia, mishandling of radioactive material leads to a fine of just A$1,000 ($714) — a figure Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called “very low” to reporters on Wednesday.
The rules regarding the packaging of radiation sources depend on the amount of radiation they emit. In some cases, the device can be packaged in three layers. In the case of a capsule, the scale may be considered as one layer of protection before being placed in the “overpack”, which is a container likely to be bolted closed.
In a statement, DFES said that when the package was opened, the scale was found broken, with one of its four mounting screws missing. Referring to the capsule, the statement added that “the source itself and all the screws on the scale were also missing.”
The theory investigators might check if the scale broke and the capsule fell out of the overpack through a hole used to secure the cap.
It is expected that it will be several weeks before the Radiology Board submits its report to the Western Australian Minister of Health. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto conducts her own investigation.
Chief Executive Simon Trott said the company would be willing to reimburse the government for costs associated with the research – if requested.
Western Australian Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the offer was appreciated, but the government would wait for the outcome of the investigation to assign censure.
He said he did not know the cost of the search but that at least 100 people were involved including police, firefighters, the Ministry of Health and members of the defense forces.
Staff from the National Emergency Management Agency, the Australian Nuclear Technology and Science Organization and the Australian Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Agency also participated in the meeting.
On Thursday, relieved DFES officials released new photos of the capsule being flown to Perth where it will be held safely at a facility.
This time, he traveled in a convoy of enclosed white vehicles – with large stickers warning of the presence of radioactive material.
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