A hunt is reportedly underway in Russia's east for a capsule containing radioactive Caesium-137, which can be very harmful to humans.
Workers employed by Russia's TNG-Group, which services oil and gas fields, lost the capsule containing the radioactive isotope en route to a site in Russia's Siberia region, the Baza Telegram channel, which is linked to Russia's security services, reported on Wednesday.
The workers carrying the radioactive capsule departed from the eastern region of Irkutsk, heading for the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia, the channel reported. The onshore field is owned and operated by Gazprom, one of the world's largest energy companies mostly owned by the Russian state.
The team left Irkutsk on January 12 and reported the capsule missing on January 16, according to Baza. Several Russian state-linked media outlets also reported that a radioactive capsule was missing, citing Baza.
Newsweek reached out to the TNG-Group and Russia's Federal Service for the Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management via email for comment.
Caesium-137 is the most common radioactive form of caesium, emitting beta particles and gamma rays, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Exposure to it can increase the risk of cancer, including when it is ingested or inhaled.
In January 2023, a small capsule containing Caesium-137 was lost in Australia, prompting fears over the health of nearby residents and local wildlife.
The capsule, approximately the size of a pea, was lost at an unknown location in the Australian outback, and its absence was only noticed more than a week after it was in transit across the country.
The dose of gamma radiation from the capsule was around 1/20 of the "annual allowable radiation dose for a radiation worker," Edward Obbard, a senior lecturer in nuclear engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, told Newsweek at the time.
It's "actually quite safe for any person who happens to walk by, or step over the source or even hang around for a while right next to it," he said at the time.
The main concern is if radioactive capsules containing Caesium-137 remain lost for years and are unsuspectingly discovered down the line. If the warnings around them are then forgotten, this could be "quite dangerous," Obbard said.
Caesium-137 has a half-life of just over 30 years, meaning it takes three decades for the radioactivity to decrease by 50 percent.
Update 01/17/24, 12:13 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to reflect that Newsweek reached out to the TNG-Group and Russia's Federal Service for the Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management for comment.
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Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
