Rio Tinto looses radioactive material in Australian Desert

SC Maintenance

SC Maintenance

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Lowcountry South Carolina
Key statement IMHO "A radioactive capsule used in Rio Tinto’s Western Australia mining operations is missing and may have fallen onto a remote road up to two weeks ago."

and good luck finding it:

"The silver-colored capsule is just 6 millimeters in diameter (0.24 inches) and 8 millimeters long and is thought to have been lost during a 1,400-kilometre drive through the remote Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions."

Early entrant to the Darwin awards?

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/rio...e capsule used in,from the device if spotted.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Key statement IMHO "A radioactive capsule used in Rio Tinto’s Western Australia mining operations is missing and may have fallen onto a remote road up to two weeks ago."

and good luck finding it:

"The silver-colored capsule is just 6 millimeters in diameter (0.24 inches) and 8 millimeters long and is thought to have been lost during a 1,400-kilometre drive through the remote Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions."

Early entrant to the Darwin awards?

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/30/rio...e capsule used in,from the device if spotted.
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Am I mistaken in thinking you could drive the same route with a geiger counter actively scanning to locate this item pretty easily assuming it hasn't moved much since being lost?
 
LOL... Nuclear density gauge. I used one of those in a former life (example below). I can see how the pellet would fall out.

MC1_HIRES_2048x2048_64ce7334-3ca6-444e-a1ea-4887c72f75e4_900x.jpg
 
MC1_HIRES_2048x2048_64ce7334-3ca6-444e-a1ea-4887c72f75e4_900x.jpg

The source in these is small-- about 10 milli Curie of Cs-137, which would have radiation output similar to that of a few radium painted watch dials. Short term exposure (by the person taking a measurement) is allowed without special protection. If someone were to ingest the source, or keep it on or near their person for a long time, that would be harmful.

In use, the gauge takes about a minute to collect and integrate radiation with Geiger tubes located in the machine. Driving a counter by at a distance and speed would not readily detect an increase in radiation.
 
SC Maintenance said:
and good luck finding it:
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Haha ! Yeap, it's about the size of what, a #194 light bulb ?

MotoTribologist said:
drive the same route with a geiger counter actively scanning to locate this item
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Almost wonder if "commercial" type stuff wouldn't detect it and they might want/need to use something that our governments have, i.e. much more sensitive. I don't mean this in any secret or conspiracy way either.
 
mk378 said:
MC1_HIRES_2048x2048_64ce7334-3ca6-444e-a1ea-4887c72f75e4_900x.jpg

The source in these is small-- about 10 milli Curie of Cs-137, which would have radiation output similar to that of a few radium painted watch dials. Short term exposure (by the person taking a measurement) is allowed without special protection. If someone were to ingest the source, or keep it on or near their person for a long time, that would be harmful.

In use, the gauge takes about a minute to collect and integrate radiation with Geiger tubes located in the machine. Driving a counter by at a distance and speed would not readily detect an increase in radiation.
Click to expand...

I was going by the:
Emergency services in the state of Western Australia said close exposure to the substance could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness and warned the public to stay five meters away from it if spotted.
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I suppose it doesn't actually say the radioactivity within that 5 meter perimeter is high enough to cause radiation burns, that was just how I took it to mean originally.
 
MotoTribologist said:
I was going by the:


I suppose it doesn't actually say the radioactivity within that 5 meter perimeter is high enough to cause radiation burns, that was just how I took it to mean originally.
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If 5 meters is enough to protect you, it’s not very strong at all. Remember for every halving (or doubling) of distance, the radiation level changes by a factor of 4. So at 10 meters, that source gives only 25% of the exposure it does at 5m, or at 2.5m you’d receive 4 times the amount at 5m.

In all reality, a nothingburger, and why the executive apologized for sounding a big alarm about the issue.

I used to work with Ir-192 in refineries and chemical plants, and between proper perimeter setting & using native shielding, I would get less than 2 Rads per year from over the course of around 6500-7000 industrial x-Ray exposures taken. It’s about as much as 4-5 chest x-rays in the same amount of time.
 
I think the basic point is if it is found, and the finder doesn't know what it is, and they decide to break it open or otherwise have it near them or handle it for long periods of time, then it can and will be dangerous to that person. And it won't be immediately obvious.

Plenty of examples of improperly disposed of materials that when handled correctly are as the previous poster said are a nothingburger, but become much more than that in the hands of those who don't know...
 
30 year half life. At 10 half-lives (300 years) the activity will be 1/1024 of the original amount. In many situations that can be considered completely decayed.
 
MNgopher said:
I think the basic point is if it is found, and the finder doesn't know what it is, and they decide to break it open or otherwise have it near them or handle it for long periods of time, then it can and will be dangerous to that person. And it won't be immediately obvious.

Plenty of examples of improperly disposed of materials that when handled correctly are as the previous poster said are a nothingburger, but become much more than that in the hands of those who don't know...
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Its not pure caesium-137. Down-blended apparently. It emits only 10x background levels. Eating it would be the big deal.
 
MotoTribologist said:
Am I mistaken in thinking you could drive the same route with a geiger counter actively scanning to locate this item pretty easily assuming it hasn't moved much since being lost?
Click to expand...
Good thing they listened to this poster on BOITG, because thats just how they found it!
 
mk378 said:
MC1_HIRES_2048x2048_64ce7334-3ca6-444e-a1ea-4887c72f75e4_900x.jpg

The source in these is small-- about 10 milli Curie of Cs-137, which would have radiation output similar to that of a few radium painted watch dials. Short term exposure (by the person taking a measurement) is allowed without special protection. If someone were to ingest the source, or keep it on or near their person for a long time, that would be harmful.

In use, the gauge takes about a minute to collect and integrate radiation with Geiger tubes located in the machine. Driving a counter by at a distance and speed would not readily detect an increase in radiation.
Click to expand...
Ya I only had to wear a badge which would get turned in and logged for exposure. I used the gauge to measure density of a clay liner which was being constructed as part of a new landfill. Unfortunately I didn't get an opportunity to use it all that much because for the 2-3 weeks I was out there it rained every 2-3 days which would require constant work stoppage so the clay could dry out since heavy equipment can't compact wet clay.
 
BMWTurboDzl said:
Ya I only had to wear a badge which would get turned in and logged for exposure. I used the gauge to measure density of a clay liner which was being constructed as part of a new landfill. Unfortunately I didn't get an opportunity to use it all that much because for the 2-3 weeks I was out there it rained every 2-3 days which would require constant work stoppage so the clay could dry out since heavy equipment can't compact wet clay.
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And nowadays, the badges aren't even required any more, at least not for the last 8 or ten years here. May be different in different states. Oh, we still have the badges, their use is optional. So one one uses them. We also keep a badge in the storage rooms with the gauges and in the rooms upstairs above them.

We have more of those gauges than anyone in the state of Illinois, and I bet we're in the top ten nationally.
 
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