[imagesource: Needpix]

Oz authorities are losing their minds over a tiny cylinder of radioactive material that went missing on a stretch of highway in Western Australia.

The lethal device was being carried by a truck when a bolt in the back loosened from the vibrations of the road and the cylinder slipped out.

According to health officials, the cesium-137 capsule is very small – about 8mm long and 6mm wide – and very dangerous.

Despite being so tiny, it has the capacity to emit a devastating dose of radioactivity.

Being near it is apparently like getting x-rayed 10 times per hour:

This is a standardized piece of equipment typically used in industrial mining operations According to Robertson, it would emit the equivalent of 10 x-rays into the human body every hour into someone who was near it.

It’s about the same amount of radiation the average person receives just walking around in the course of a year, but delivered in an hour.

It emits both gamma and beta rays to anyone in close proximity, which can cause cancer in the long term, and could burn the skin or cause acute radiation syndrome in the short term.

If anyone finds the sordid thing while walking along the 1 450-kilometre stretch of highway in Oz, they are urged NOT TO PICK IT UP:

Officials said “risk to the general community is relatively low, however it is important to be aware of the risks and what to do if you see the capsule.” They are warning people to stay at least 5 meters away from it, to “not touch it,” “not put it in a bag,” “not put it in your car,” and to “seek immediate medical advice … if you have touched the material.”

Hell nope, you don’t want to choose the pill from down under.

[source:vice]