Radioactive Capsule Goes Missing After Falling Off a Truck (https://www.thedailybeast.com/emergency-warning-issued-as-radioactive-capsule-goes-missing-in-australia)
6x8mm on 870 Miles... :eek1:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kramatorsk_radiological_accident (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kramatorsk_radiological_accident)
It's not the first time someone dropped one either.
Sheesh, that's all we need - radioactive cocaine bears (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14209916/)! Makes murder hornets look like a sunny day in the park!
Gauge?
Not an encapsulated tool type of gauge. How do they even use it in mining if its dangerous.
QuoteRobertson said the capsule emits a "reasonable" amount of radiation roughly equivalent to someone receiving 10 X-rays in one hour if they came within 3 feet of it.
This should be locatable by driving down the road with a detector.
Sounds like something one of my clients would do and then call me up to ask for help.
"I need you to look between Houston, Tx & Denver Co (~ 870 miles) for an object about the size of a bullet from a 25 acp round that was dropped somewhere, could be anywhere by now. Oh and BTW if you find it do not go within 3 feet of it."
Or to quote the article:
QuoteWith stoic understatement, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Country North chief superintendent David Gill acknowledged that finding such a tiny capsule over such a vast area will present "challenges."
I am not sure about Australia but in the US this would result in massive regulatory issues, fines and all manner of unpleasantness. They use isotopes like this in the oil patch for instrument calibration but they do not lose them. I am not saying they never misplace them...just that they seem more likely to get lost downhole than to be lost on the highway. :)
I like how the Department of Fire and Emergency Services guy is like "Well, finding something that small in such a large area will present some challenges."
Yeah, no kidding it'll present a challenge. :rolleyes1:
If it didn't, y'all would've found it by now or wouldn't have lost it in the first place. :headbang:
I have questions. How was this being transported that it was able to just fall off of a truck? Why was it not in a shielded container for transportation? How do they store it on site? Are employees just always exposed to this thing because the company can't be bothered to build a bucket-sized cement urn or a smaller lead pig to keep it in?
Does the company have more than one of these and are careless with all of them??
What the hell is the purpose of this thing for mining?
And one non-question: EMU EAT SHINY THINGS, THIS THING COULD BE ANYWHERE BY NOW!!
Quote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 06:04:57 PMI have questions. How was this being transported that it was able to just fall off of a truck? Why was it not in a shielded container for transportation? How do they store it on site? Are employees just always exposed to this thing because the company can't be bothered to build a bucket-sized cement urn or a smaller lead pig to keep it in?
Does the company have more than one of these and are careless with all of them??
What the hell is the purpose of this thing for mining?
And one non-question: EMU EAT SHINY THINGS, THIS THING COULD BE ANYWHERE BY NOW!!
So, you're saying the Emu War could be going nuclear? :eek1:
Quote from: NT2C on January 27, 2023, 08:03:16 PMQuote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 06:04:57 PMI have questions. How was this being transported that it was able to just fall off of a truck? Why was it not in a shielded container for transportation? How do they store it on site? Are employees just always exposed to this thing because the company can't be bothered to build a bucket-sized cement urn or a smaller lead pig to keep it in?
Does the company have more than one of these and are careless with all of them??
What the hell is the purpose of this thing for mining?
And one non-question: EMU EAT SHINY THINGS, THIS THING COULD BE ANYWHERE BY NOW!!
So, you're saying the Emu War could be going nuclear? :eek1:
YES!
Quote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 06:04:57 PMI have questions. How was this being transported that it was able to just fall off of a truck? Why was it not in a shielded container for transportation? How do they store it on site? Are employees just always exposed to this thing because the company can't be bothered to build a bucket-sized cement urn or a smaller lead pig to keep it in?
Does the company have more than one of these and are careless with all of them??
What the hell is the purpose of this thing for mining?
And one non-question: EMU EAT SHINY THINGS, THIS THING COULD BE ANYWHERE BY NOW!!
Should be easy to find now.
All they have to do now is just look for the brightly glowing emu.
I would just like to put this in perspective; the vitamin C supplement that I swallow daily is larger than the radioactive thing they dropped off a fecking truck on the fecking highway. For the record, my vitamin C is also better contained.
Quote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 10:46:38 PMI would just like to put this in perspective; the vitamin C supplement that I swallow daily is larger than the radioactive thing they dropped off a fecking truck on the fecking highway. For the record, my vitamin C is also better contained.
Unfortunately for me, one of my cinnamon pills became "uncontained" this week right after I put it into my mouth. Four or five glasses of water later I was fine, but that first few moments had me unwillingly reliving the cinnamon challenge from a few years ago!
Quote from: EBuff75 on January 27, 2023, 11:12:11 PMQuote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 10:46:38 PMI would just like to put this in perspective; the vitamin C supplement that I swallow daily is larger than the radioactive thing they dropped off a fecking truck on the fecking highway. For the record, my vitamin C is also better contained.
Unfortunately for me, one of my cinnamon pills became "uncontained" this week right after I put it into my mouth. Four or five glasses of water later I was fine, but that first few moments had me unwillingly reliving the cinnamon challenge from a few years ago!
:eek1:
Quote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 10:46:38 PMI would just like to put this in perspective; the vitamin C supplement that I swallow daily is larger than the radioactive thing they dropped off a fecking truck on the fecking highway. For the record, my vitamin C is also better contained.
:kryptonite:
(artist rendering)
Someone needs to make radioactive emu war into a film.
There's a feral group of 600 Nandus roaming wild in the northeast here.
Quote from: EBuff75 on January 27, 2023, 11:12:11 PMQuote from: Anianna on January 27, 2023, 10:46:38 PMI would just like to put this in perspective; the vitamin C supplement that I swallow daily is larger than the radioactive thing they dropped off a fecking truck on the fecking highway. For the record, my vitamin C is also better contained.
Unfortunately for me, one of my cinnamon pills became "uncontained" this week right after I put it into my mouth. Four or five glasses of water later I was fine, but that first few moments had me unwillingly reliving the cinnamon challenge from a few years ago!
I have esophageal spasm and get pills stuck on a fairly regular basis. No way I would risk taking cinnamon as a pill. I do mix copious amounts of cinnamon in applesauce or peach oatmeal every day. It's much more palatable and tolerable that way. I add a little turmeric, too.
Rio Tinto apologises for losing radioactive capsule in Australia (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64448879)
Quote from: NT2C on January 30, 2023, 11:18:47 AMRio Tinto apologises for losing radioactive capsule in Australia (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64448879)
QUOTE: The capsule may have gone missing up to two weeks ago.
Oh, godammit they don't even know when they lost it. Seems like there's a decent chance it might not even be along the route they think they lost it on.
I feel like the conversation went something like, "Well, it was at this facility and then Charlie here is pretty sure he popped it on a truck to go to this other facility, and now we just don't know where it is."
Yes, I wrote that in an Australian accent. Read it appropriately.
I wonder if they all checked the bottoms of their boots yet.
Quote from: Anianna on January 30, 2023, 02:05:30 PMQuote from: NT2C on January 30, 2023, 11:18:47 AMRio Tinto apologises for losing radioactive capsule in Australia (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64448879)
QUOTE: The capsule may have gone missing up to two weeks ago.
Oh, godammit they don't even know when they lost it. Seems like there's a decent chance it might not even be along the route they think they lost it on.
I feel like the conversation went something like, "Well, it was at this facility and then Charlie here is pretty sure he popped it on a truck to go to this other facility, and now we just don't know where it is."
Yes, I wrote that in an Australian accent. Read it appropriately.
I think we would all be agast at how often similar conversations occur at all levels of organizations & government in all languages and all accents.
:zomg:
Quote from: Anianna on January 30, 2023, 02:05:30 PMQuote from: NT2C on January 30, 2023, 11:18:47 AMRio Tinto apologises for losing radioactive capsule in Australia (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64448879)
QUOTE: The capsule may have gone missing up to two weeks ago.
Oh, godammit they don't even know when they lost it. Seems like there's a decent chance it might not even be along the route they think they lost it on.
I feel like the conversation went something like, "Well, it was at this facility and then Charlie here is pretty sure he popped it on a truck to go to this other facility, and now we just don't know where it is."
Yes, I wrote that in an Australian accent. Read it appropriately.
I wonder if they all checked the bottoms of their boots yet.
Somewhere in there they also said that they checked the equipment it was in with a Geiger counter before the truck left and made sure it was in there.
This is how nearly every 1950-60's giant monster movie starts
(https://c8.alamy.com/comp/bpbfp1/joan-weldon-giant-ant-them!-1954-bpbfp1.jpg)
Quote from: flybynight on January 30, 2023, 06:02:25 PMThis is how nearly every 1950-60's giant monster movie starts
(https://c8.alamy.com/comp/bpbfp1/joan-weldon-giant-ant-them!-1954-bpbfp1.jpg)
But it's Australia, Land of Everything Kill You, would they even
notice?
They found it! Apparently it fell out of the equipment and off the truck shortly after leaving the mine and appears to have been undisturbed since it fell out. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/australia/australia-radioactive-capsule-found-intl-hnk/index.html
Yes they did. They found it with a vehicle traveling @ 70 KPH.
Now the cynic in me wants to know if any more of these items in their possession are missing. Did they simply drop off another one so that they can claim to find it?
Yes. I know. I am not a trusting soul. :rolleyes1:
QuoteOfficials said the capsule the size of a pea was found south of the mining town of Newman on the Great Northern Highway. It was detected by a search vehicle travelling at 70 kilometers (43 miles) per hour when specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the capsule.
Portable search equipment was then used to locate it 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the side of the road.
"This is an extraordinary result ... they have quite literally found the needle in the haystack," said Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson.
Now in the US Rio Tinto would be sent a bill (or bills) for the emergency services time and material. This is how they looked for it on one stretch of roadway.
(https://media.wwltv.com/assets/CCT/images/fe54ca8a-9baf-4a7d-94c9-bee53fae14b1/fe54ca8a-9baf-4a7d-94c9-bee53fae14b1_750x422.jpg)
So... no radioactive emu? Damn. :(
Quote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:46:09 AMSo... no radioactive emu? Damn. :(
We lost round one of the Emu War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War). Don't provoke them! :eek1:
I would think that being radioactive made that needle a little easier to find. From a couple meters away on a truck going 70kph - I feel like they may have understated the level of radioactivity this thing emits in the initial announcement. :eek1:
Quote from: Raptor on February 01, 2023, 11:35:20 AMYes they did. They found it with a vehicle traveling @ 70 KPH.
Now the cynic in me wants to know if any more of these items in their possession are missing. Did they simply drop off another one so that they can claim to find it?
Yes. I know. I am not a trusting soul. :rolleyes1:
They could have just not mentioned that it was missing at all. If there's enough oversight that they couldn't keep it quiet in the first place, maybe there's enough to ensure they have all of their radioactive bits accounted for at this point. I can hope, anyway.
Quote from: EBuff75 on February 01, 2023, 11:48:42 AMQuote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:46:09 AMSo... no radioactive emu? Damn. :(
We lost round one of the Emu War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War). Don't provoke them! :eek1:
Mankind had its chance. I'm rooting for the Emus. :icon_crazy:
Quote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:56:39 AMQuote from: EBuff75 on February 01, 2023, 11:48:42 AMQuote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:46:09 AMSo... no radioactive emu? Damn. :(
We lost round one of the Emu War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War). Don't provoke them! :eek1:
Mankind had its chance. I'm rooting for the Emus. :icon_crazy:
Collaborating with the enemy? Our Aussie friends feed traitors to the drop bears, or so I'm told. You could find yourself getting eaten!
Quote from: NT2C on February 01, 2023, 12:04:59 PMQuote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:56:39 AMQuote from: EBuff75 on February 01, 2023, 11:48:42 AMQuote from: tirls on February 01, 2023, 11:46:09 AMSo... no radioactive emu? Damn. :(
We lost round one of the Emu War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War). Don't provoke them! :eek1:
Mankind had its chance. I'm rooting for the Emus. :icon_crazy:
Collaborating with the enemy? Our Aussie friends feed traitors to the drop bears, or so I'm told. You could find yourself getting eaten!
I, for one, welcome our new emu overlords!
Quote from: Raptor on February 01, 2023, 11:35:20 AMYes they did. They found it with a vehicle traveling @ 70 KPH.
Now the cynic in me wants to know if any more of these items in their possession are missing. Did they simply drop off another one so that they can claim to find it?
Yes. I know. I am not a trusting soul. :rolleyes1:
QuoteOfficials said the capsule the size of a pea was found south of the mining town of Newman on the Great Northern Highway. It was detected by a search vehicle travelling at 70 kilometers (43 miles) per hour when specialist equipment picked up radiation emitting from the capsule.
Portable search equipment was then used to locate it 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the side of the road.
"This is an extraordinary result ... they have quite literally found the needle in the haystack," said Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson.
This is a Bureaucrat patting themselves on the back and is literally the way I said they should search and would find it in an earlier post. OOORRR, its an emergency services minister that knows zilch about radiation.
If you want to compare it to finding a needle in a haystack then prolog that with we used a 2 ton electromagnet, held it over the haystack and turned it on. The needle immediately snapped out of the hay onto the magnet. :rolleyes1: easy peezy!
The only way that wouldn't work is if they were in a uranium rich environment where the background radiation was equal to the output of the radioactive pellet.
Quote from: NT2C on January 30, 2023, 06:02:18 PMQuote from: Anianna on January 30, 2023, 02:05:30 PMQuote from: NT2C on January 30, 2023, 11:18:47 AMRio Tinto apologises for losing radioactive capsule in Australia (https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64448879)
QUOTE: The capsule may have gone missing up to two weeks ago.
Oh, godammit they don't even know when they lost it. Seems like there's a decent chance it might not even be along the route they think they lost it on.
I feel like the conversation went something like, "Well, it was at this facility and then Charlie here is pretty sure he popped it on a truck to go to this other facility, and now we just don't know where it is."
Yes, I wrote that in an Australian accent. Read it appropriately.
I wonder if they all checked the bottoms of their boots yet.
Somewhere in there they also said that they checked the equipment it was in with a Geiger counter before the truck left and made sure it was in there.
Inter-dimensional wormhole - it's the only explanation.
In any case It's been found. (https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/business/australia-radioactive-capsule-investigation-intl-hnk/index.html) Definitely more to this story, though.
https://youtu.be/0lpOtpgPa7k