Tiny radioactive capsule lost in Australian outback carries the equivalent of 10 X-ray blasts as fears mount it could be picked up by passing traffic

Western Australian Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson (Credit: Matt Jelonek—Getty Images)

Australian authorities and mining giant Rio Tinto are scrambling to find a small radioactive capsule lost somewhere along a near-900-mile stretch of road in the outback.

The casing of the capsule contains cesium-137—a substance that researchers have found has a life span of more than three decades.