After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an experts in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
The capsule was reported missing on Jan. 25 after it fell off a truck while being transported along a 1,400-kilometre stretch of highway in Western Australia. Authorities in the region announced on Wednesday the capsule had been retrieved after days of searching
Here’s what you need to know about the handling of radioactive devices in Canada and whether the same could happen here:
HOW COMMON ARE THESE RADIOACTIVE DEVICES IN CANADA?
The capsule that went missing in Australia measured was just 6 mm in diameter and 8 mm long. It was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed at Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri mine in Western Australia. It contains the caesium 137 ceramic source, which emits dangerous amounts of radiation equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in an hour.
Laura Boksman, senior consulting scientist at the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, says such devices containing similarly radioactive material are common in Canada.
“We would have that sort of type of radioactive material device in all sorts of industries in Canada — in mining, in processing. You could have it in pulp and paper, you could have it in the steel industry, you can have them in bottling plants,” she told CTVNews.ca on Wednesday in a phone interview. “They’re very common, actually.”
WHAT ARE THE SAFETY REGULATIONS GOVERNINIG RADIOACTIVE DEVICES IN CANADA?
In order to transport radioactive material, individuals have to apply for a license from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the federal regulator in charge of nuclear power and radioactive materials.
Applications must include a rundown of all the safety protocols that are planned, such as the training of the people transporting it, how the material is being packaged, what safety audits are being done on a regular basis, and what emergency plans are in place if the material gets lost of stolen.
“You have to submit a lot of information to the regulator to show that you’re a committed to working safely and that your plans are adequate for what you want and plan to do with the type of radioactive material that you have,” Boksman said
Licences to transport are typically granted for a period of five or 10 years, and they come additional reporting requirements. On top of that, the CNSC also performs routine inspections.
“There are annual reports that have to be submitted. There are financial guarantees that have to be provided … so that if go belly up and you just leave, the government has some financial compensation in order to deal with the problems what you left behind,” Boksman added. “To use radioactive material, it’s very highly regulated wit the CNSC.”
Failure to properly handle radioactive can result in thousands of dollars in fines, even jail time in Canada. But in Australia, the penalties are capped at A$1,000 (C$949), something that the Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called “ridiculously low.”
COULD THIS HAPPEN IN CANADA?
Given Canada’s regulations, Boksman says its’ “extremely unusual” for a radioactive source to go missing without being housed in a device or packaging
“This sort of type of source would have been in in a gauge of some type, and they definitely don’t come apart. And then when you look at the way they’re transported, they have to be transported in specific packaging,” Boksman said.
In 2022, there were five instances of lost or stolen sources or radiation devices according the CNSC. Three of these cases involved the theft of portable gauge devices, two of which were recovered. In the other two cases, capsules of iodine 125 were lost in Montreal, but the CNSC classified these as Category 5 sources, or “very low risk.”
Boksman says five instances of lost or stolen sources per year is “really, really quite small.”
“There are thousands of thousands of shipments of radioactive material every day. We’ve got such a small number in proportion to the number of shipments that are out there,” she said.
MONTREAL – One expert says entry-level pay under the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement.
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five.
The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision entirely.
But according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press, the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says as many as 2,000 of Air Canada’s roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge.
After the airline averted a strike this week, Gradek says the failure to ditch the pay grade restrictions could prompt pushback from rank-and-file flight crew and jeopardize the deal, which is up for a vote next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
ROME (AP) — Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at its home World Cup in 1990, has died. He was 59.
Schillaci had been hospitalized in Palermo following treatment for colon cancer.
The Palermo Civico hospital said in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago.
Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup. He came on as a substitute during Italy’s opener against Austria, scored in a 1-0 victory, and went on to earn the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career.
Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina announced that a minute of silence would be held in memory of Schillaci before all games in the country for the rest of the week.
“The uncontrollable celebrations, in which his face was the symbol of shared joy, will remain forever part of Italian soccer (history),” Gravina said. “Totò was a great player, a symbol of tenacious desire and redemption. … His soccer was full of passion. And that fearless spirit made everyone appreciate him and will make him immortal.”
Schillaci also won the Golden Ball award at the 1990 World Cup as the tournament’s top player ahead of Lothar Matthaus and Diego Maradona.
Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.
“You made an entire nation dream during the Magical Nights of Italia ’90,” Inter said on its social media channels.
West Germany won the 1990 World Cup, beating Argentina in the final, while Italy beat England for third place with a winning penalty kick from Schillaci.
Roberto Baggio, who scored Italy’s opening goal in the third-place match, wrote on Instagram, “Ciao my dear friend.”
Having been born and raised in Palermo, the Palermo soccer team announced that it would hold a public viewing of Schillaci at its Renzo Barbera stadium ahead of the funeral, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will stay free ahead of his trial on charges of sexual assault while intoxicated, one of his lawyers told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Roumiantseva said Ben Yedder will remain under strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a lawsuit for sexual assault earlier this month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained then released after the alleged incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder had been stopped by police after he first refused to do so. He was then put in a jail cell.
After he was summoned to appear in court on Oct. 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to remand the player in custody. The investigative chamber of the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence did not grant this request and kept Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder attended a hearing Tuesday during which he offered to go to rehab. He has admitted he drove while under the influence of alcohol but has denied any sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
