Urgent Warning Issued in Australia After Tiny Radioactive Capsule Is Lost on Vast Stretch of Highway

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Officials in Western Australia are urgently searching for a tiny capsule that contains radioactive material and was lost on a vast stretch of highway.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) in Western Australia issued an urgent warning Friday evening for parts of the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions along the Great Northern Highway because of the missing capsule, which is dangerous.

Western Australia's Chief Health Officer Dr. Andrew Robertson said at an emergency press conference on Fridaythe capsule was lost in transport between a mine site north of Newman and Malaga, according to Australian broadcaster ABC News.

The capsule gives off the equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in one hour to anyone who comes within a meter of it, Robertson said.

Anyone who gets close to or makes contact with the capsule could face what is known as "acute radiation sickness," he added, according to The Guardian. Among the long-term risks of exposure is cancer.

"If you have contact or have it close to you, you could either end up with skin damage, including skin burns, over a period of time," Robertson said, per the report.

"We are recommending people not be close to it or hang on to it."

The capsule may have fallen on the roadway between Jan. 10 and Jan. 14 after it was packaged and sent to Perth, where it arrived on Jan. 16, DFES said.

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Officials are asking anyone who traveled between Newman and Perth since Jan. 10 to check their tires for the capsule.

The object is only 6 millimeters (or less than a quarter inch) in diameter and 8 millimeters (less than a third of an inch) tall — about the same size as an Australian 10-cent piece, according to DFES.

Australia's ABC News reports that radioactive gauges are often used in mining operations.

"Our concern is that someone will pick it up, not knowing what it is," Robertson said on Friday, per The Guardian and the BBC. "They may think it is something interesting and keep it, or keep it in their room, keep it in their car, or give it to someone."

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Officials believe the capsule slipped through a hole created when a bolt came undone during the trip, according to ABC News.

The substance inside has a half-life of 30 years.

Anyone who encounters the capsule are asked to keep at least 5 meters away from it and are advised not to touch it, put it in a bag or put it in a vehicle. Instead, they are asked to report the finding "immediately" to DEFS by calling 13 33 37.

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Those who do make contact with the capsule should "seek immediate medical advice from your local health service or visit a hospital emergency department," DFES said.

DFES says it is managing the incident alongside Department of Health and WA Police.