Rio Tinto Group has lost a “highly radioactive” capsule somewhere along its 1,400 kilometer (870 mile) route through the Western Australian desert.
“We are taking this incident very seriously,” Rio Tinto iron ore chief Simon Trott said in a statement on Friday. “We understand this is very clear and we are very sorry for the alarm this has caused in the West Australian community.”
The mining giant and the West Australian government are trying to find the widget, which is 8 millimeters (0.3 inches) long and contains a small amount of the radioactive isotope cesium-137. While the risk to the general public is low, exposure to these substances can cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, Emergency WA said on its website.
The widget is a component in the gauge used to measure the density of iron ore. Rio said the radioactive capsule was collected from the mine on January 12 by a transport contractor, and will arrive at a radiation storage facility in Perth on January 16. It was only discovered missing when the container was opened for inspection. on January 25.
The West Australian government said when the package holding the device was inspected, it was found to be “broken with one of the four mounting bolts and the spring itself and all the screws on the gauge also missing.”
It comes as Rio Tinto, which is listed in Sydney and London, tries to rebuild its reputation after destroying a site important to Indigenous Australians in 2020 as part of an iron ore mine expansion.
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