Irish Examiner view: Deadly needle in a haystack

Missing vial of Caesium-137

The 19-gigabecquerel ceramic source can cause skin burns, radiation sickness, and cancer. Picture: Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP

It might only be a fraction of the size of a 10-cent coin, but the vial filled with Caesium-137 that has gone missing in Australia is quite the dangerous thing, both to humans and animals.

This particular vial might not sound like much of a threat, but the 19-gigabecquerel ceramic source can cause skin burns, radiation sickness, and cancer. It has been missing for, well, some time and the authorities don’t know how long.