Radioactive needle in a haystack

A tiny capsule of Cesium-137 a radioactive material has fallen off the back of a truck in Western Australia.  It emits gamma rays.

It is just 6mm by 8mm but has the capacity to induce life threatening illnesses.  It has a life of 300 years.

But where is it it?  All we know is that it could be beside the road stretching from near Mount Newman in the Pilbara in the north of WA  and Perth 1400 kilometers to the south.

Image: Image: Shutterstock – Anelo

Produced By: Roderick Chambers

Featured In Story: Dr Dale Bailey Professor of Medical Imaging Science at the Faculty of Medicine and Health University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital

First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 31 January 2023

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