Buzz
While radioactivity, particularly its application in cancer treatments and diagnostic testing, saves thousands of lives annually, it can also be deadly when mishandled. High-profile disasters like the Chernobyl reactor explosion and the Fukushima nuclear plant incident often dominate the news, sparking justified public concern about the use of radioactive fuel for electricity generation in nuclear plants. However, smaller-scale incidents, where a handful or even dozens of people are exposed, often fly under the radar. In some instances, a few individuals tragically die due to accidental exposure to high radiation levels. Many of these incidents, though not all, occur in developing countries during the recycling and selling of scrap metal. Other cases are linked to industrial accidents or medical treatment mistakes. Yet, all have the potential to harm unsuspecting individuals with radiation. Listed in chronological order, here are ten more examples of tragedies involving radioactive materials that led to fatalities.
10. Ciudad Juarez Incident
Between December 1983 and February 1984, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and the United States witnessed one of the first widely covered cases of radiation exposure due to the accidental destruction of orphaned radioactive sources during the scrap metal recycling process.
On December 6, 1983, a used metal teletherapy unit (pictured) containing a source container filled with approximately 6,000 one-millimeter pellets, each containing radioactive cobalt 60, was intentionally opened in a Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, scrapyard. The pellets were scattered throughout the yard, and a magnetic loader further spread the radioactive materials when the scrap metal was processed into steel products on December 10, 1983. Contaminated items included steel rebar and table bases made from the tainted steel, which were then shipped to the United States. The contamination remained unnoticed until January 16, 1984, when a truck carrying contaminated rebar triggered an automatic radiation sensor at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, scientific laboratory. Later that same day, five more trucks carrying contaminated steel were stopped at the Mexican border, near El Paso, Texas.
In the weeks that followed, approximately 900 tons of contaminated steel were identified and recovered across the United States. Some of the affected table parts had already been assembled into completed tables, which were then retrieved from various restaurants.
In February 1984, Mexican authorities confirmed that ten individuals had been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Tragically, one of them later succumbed to their injuries. An aerial survey conducted in March 1984 of the Ciudad Juarez area identified 21 contaminated zones, including a pickup truck where children had been playing. In Sinola, Mexico, authorities were forced to demolish 109 homes that had been built using the contaminated rebar.
9. Morocco Incident
In March 1984, another incident involving an orphaned radioactive source took place in Morocco. This time, the source was an iridium-132 device. Many people received dangerous overdoses of radiation, necessitating medical intervention, and tragically, eight individuals lost their lives.
The source had been used for radiography of welds – a non-destructive method of inspecting metals for internal defects using ionizing radiation. However, the source became detached from its shielded container, and since it was not marked to indicate its radioactive nature, a worker inadvertently discovered the source and took it home. The source remained in the home for several weeks, exposing the family to radiation.
8. Goiania Incident
On September 13, 1987, in Goiania, Brazil, a radioactive source was removed from an abandoned hospital in the city. Over time, the source was handled by numerous individuals, leading to the exposure of at least 245 people to harmful radiation. Twenty of these individuals showed symptoms of radiation exposure and required hospitalization. At least four people unfortunately died as a result.
This incident involved a cesium-137 source that had been abandoned when a private radiotherapy center relocated. Left unsecured for two years, it was eventually found by scrap metal scavengers. Unaware of the danger, the scavengers took the unit home, tried to open it, and during this process, damaged the cesium-137 source. The resulting contamination affected hundreds of individuals and the surrounding environment, leading to a six-month radiation cleanup operation. Over 100,000 people were monitored for radiation exposure as a result.
7. Soreq Incident
Radioactive sources are used for a variety of purposes, not only in medicine. One such application is the sterilization of medical tools and even food products. In June 1990, at a facility in Soreq, Israel, a cobalt-60 radioactive source used for irradiation became stuck in its rack. The operator of the irradiation machine was presented with two conflicting warning signals, which may have caused confusion. In response, he bypassed the safety systems that were designed to protect him from exposure and devised his own method to enter the irradiation room and remove the blockage. Unfortunately, this led to the operator being irradiated, and he died from the high levels of radiation just a month later.
Tragically, this was neither the first nor the last incident involving a source becoming stuck in such a facility.
In February 1989, in San Salvador, El Salvador, a cobalt-60 source became jammed, and once again, workers bypassed safety protocols to enter the irradiation room. Three men went in to unstick the source, but during the attempt, all three were exposed to severe radiation doses. The legs and feet of two of the men were so severely damaged by the radiation that amputation was required. The third man tragically passed away six months later.
In October 1991, in Nesvizh, Belarus, a cobalt-60 source became stuck in the product transport system. The operator, once again bypassing several safety measures, entered the facility to clear the obstruction. The source remained active for about a minute, exposing the operator to high radiation levels. Despite receiving special medical treatment in Minsk, Russia, the operator succumbed to his injuries 113 days later.
6. Zaragoza Clinic Incident
Between December 10 and December 20, 1990, at a hospital clinic in Zaragoza, Spain, at least 27 cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy were unintentionally exposed to excessive radiation. This exposure led to the deaths of 11 patients, with others suffering severe radiation injuries.
On December 7, 1990, maintenance was carried out on the electron accelerator at the clinic, which was used to treat cancer patients. The machine was restarted on December 10. An inspection by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Board revealed that the accelerator's power had been set too high. The unit was taken out of service on December 20, 1990. Unfortunately, by that time, numerous patients had already been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation that exceeded safe limits.
The affected patients experienced severe skin burns, damage to internal organs, and compromised bone marrow. The first death occurred on February 16, 1991, and the last fatality took place on December 25, 1991.
The 14-year-old electron beam accelerator suffered a malfunction in its control system. The technician who repaired the machine mistakenly increased the output power, causing patients who should have received treatment at 7 million electron volts (MeV) to be treated at 40 MeV instead.
The hospital manager held the technician responsible, while the Spanish Health Minister blamed GE, the manufacturer of the equipment. After a court hearing, both the technician and GE were found at fault. The faulty device was decommissioned and disposed of in 1996.
5. Indiana, PA Incident
Brachy-Therapy: In November 1992, an 82-year-old patient was receiving brachytherapy radiotherapy at the Indiana, Pennsylvania Regional Cancer Center. During the treatment, a 3.7 curie iridium-192 source accidentally detached from the equipment and was left behind in the patient. This error went unnoticed because the staff failed to perform regular inventory checks on radioactive sources. Tragically, the patient passed away 93 hours later at her nursing home due to radiation exposure. The catheter holding the source was later removed and disposed of as regular medical waste. A routine check by the waste disposal company revealed the radioactive source. An investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) discovered that 94 individuals, including those at the center, the nursing home, and the waste disposal company, had been exposed to radiation.
4. Tommiku Incident: In October 1994, in Tommiku, Estonia, three brothers unlawfully entered a facility storing radioactive waste. Inside, they found a metal container, which they removed from the site. Upon opening the container, they were exposed to radiation from the radioactive source inside. One of the brothers died from radiation exposure, while others suffered harm as well. Initially, the death wasn't linked to radiation. However, when another family member's radiation injuries were examined, a doctor realized the connection to radioactivity. The physician notified authorities, preventing further harm and containing the situation.
In November 1992, a deadly mistake took place during brachytherapy treatment in Indiana, Pennsylvania. An 82-year-old woman was receiving radiation therapy when a 3.7 curie iridium-192 source detached from its equipment and remained inside the patient’s body unnoticed. Despite the absence of routine inventory checks on radioactive materials, the mistake went undetected. The patient died 93 hours later from radiation exposure, and the catheter holding the source was discarded as normal medical waste. The radioactive source was only discovered by a waste disposal company during their regular checks. The subsequent NRC investigation revealed that 94 individuals had been exposed to radiation from this incident.
3. Mayapuri Incident: In April 2010, the Mayapuri area of India experienced a severe radiological accident when a Gammacell 220 research irradiator, previously owned by Delhi University, was sold at auction to a scrap metal dealer on February 26, 2010. The source, which had been unused since 1985, was removed from the university and sold as scrap, effectively becoming an 'orphan source.' Regulations require that radioactive source owners always track the location of their sources and never lose control over them. Unfortunately, this was not followed in the Mayapuri incident, and orphan sources can be highly dangerous as a result.
In mid-April, all the pieces of the cobalt-60 source were located and recovered, then sent to a nuclear power station for proper handling. However, the cutting of the source into pieces caused significant radiation exposure, resulting in eight people being hospitalized, and one person tragically died due to the radiation.
The Mayapuri Incident of April 2010 occurred when a Gammacell 220 irradiator, owned by Delhi University, was sold to a scrap dealer in Mayapuri. This irradiator, last used in 1985, became an 'orphan source' after being improperly removed and sold. Strict regulations require that owners always maintain control of radioactive sources, but in this case, the source was lost, leading to a dangerous situation. Orphan sources can be incredibly hazardous, as demonstrated by this incident.
In the aftermath of the Mayapuri incident, the cobalt-60 radioactive source was dismantled by scrap metal workers. One worker took a piece of the source and kept it in his wallet, while two others took pieces to a nearby shop. The remaining eight pieces were left scattered in the scrap yard. Ultimately, all the pieces were recovered in mid-April, but not before eight individuals suffered radiation exposure, with one of them losing their life.
2. Samut Prakarn Incident: The Samut Prakarn incident involved a Gammatron-3 teletherapy unit, which was originally installed in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1969. The unit featured a lead source holder and shield surrounded by stainless steel, weighing around 280 pounds. Inside the holder was the cobalt-60 source. After being decommissioned, the unit was stored by the hospital along with other radioactive equipment in a separate location. Eventually, three of these units were moved to a garage, and one was stolen and sold as scrap metal.
At the scrap yard, the men asked the employee to use a torch to cut open the unit. As the employee worked with the torch, a yellow, foul-smelling smoke began to emerge from the unit. Two pieces of the unit fell out onto the ground, and the man holding the torch picked them up. He mentioned that his hands felt "itchy" as he handled the pieces. The scrap yard owner instructed the men to return the unit to their home and continue their work there. Despite feeling ill, they managed to separate the stainless steel and lead assemblies and returned to the scrap yard the following day.
The device at the center of the Samut Prakarn incident was a Gammatron-3 teletherapy unit, originally installed in a hospital in Bangkok in 1969. The unit's lead source holder and shield were surrounded by stainless steel, with a cobalt-60 source at its core. After being taken out of service, the unit was placed in storage by the hospital along with other radioactive equipment. The unit was later stolen from a garage and sold as scrap metal, sparking a dangerous sequence of events.
On January 24, 2000, two men bought the Gammatron-3 teletherapy unit as scrap metal and transported it to their home in Bangkok. When they couldn't pry the unit apart, they decided to take it to a scrap yard. After a stop at one of their homes, where one man casually draped his leg over the unit, they arrived at the yard. The workers there used a torch to cut through the unit, releasing a foul-smelling yellow smoke and causing pieces to fall out. One worker reported an itchy sensation in his hands as he picked them up. Later, the unit was returned to their home, where the men continued to dismantle it, feeling increasingly sick before returning to the scrap yard the next day.
In total, ten people were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation: the four men who initially obtained the teletherapy unit, and six others at the scrap yard, including the man who used the torch to cut the unit, his colleague, the female owner of the scrap yard, her husband, and two other individuals. By mid-February, all of them had developed symptoms of radiation sickness and were hospitalized.
The physician treating the exposed individuals recognized the signs of radiation sickness and informed the authorities in Thailand. In response, two health physicists were dispatched to investigate. Using a radiation meter, they drove through the area surrounding the scrap yard and detected elevated radiation levels, which led them to the location of the radioactive source. Unfortunately, the source was buried under a massive pile of scrap metal. After several days of careful excavation, the authorities managed to uncover and safely retrieve the source. They also took control of other teletherapy units that had been left unsecured in the garage.
Among the four men who had originally handled the teletherapy unit, one had to undergo amputations due to the severity of his radiation exposure, while the other, who had placed his leg over the unit, suffered severe radiation burns to his leg. Fortunately, all of the men survived the incident.
Of the six individuals exposed at the scrap yard, two men died as a result of their radiation exposure. One was the man who used the torch to cut open the teletherapy unit, and the other was the man who worked beside him. Additionally, the husband of the scrap yard owner also succumbed to his injuries.
1. San Juan de Dios Hospital Incident
In August 1996, a cobalt-60 radioactive source was replaced in an Alcyon II radiotherapy machine at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San Juan, Costa Rica. During the process of restarting the instrument, an error was made in calculating the dose rate. This mistake went unnoticed until September 1996, by which time 115 patients had been treated using the faulty equipment and were exposed to radiation levels far higher than intended. Later analysis revealed that the patients had received an estimated 50-60% more radiation than expected.
By July 1997, nine months after the radiation overexposure incident, 42 of the affected patients had passed away. All of the patients displayed the typical signs and symptoms of radiation overexposure.
+ Yanango Incident
I have included the Yanango incident here, despite the fact that, as far as I know, the man exposed to radiation has not yet passed away. However, the severity of his injuries is such that it is almost certain he will eventually die as a result. For those interested, you can read the full investigation report by the IAEA here.
A warning is issued regarding the photographs of the man's injuries, which are extremely graphic. In February 1999, a hydroelectric plant was under construction in Yanango, Peru, located several hundred miles east of Lima. On the morning of February 20, 1999, a welder and his assistant began working on repairs to a pipe. Shortly afterward, a radiographer arrived to take radiographs of the welds and the pipe to ensure it was safe for hydrostatic testing. However, since the welding was not yet completed, the radiographer left, leaving the radiograph camera locked but unsupervised at the construction site.
The radiograph camera is essentially a metal box that contains a 'source pigtail'—a pencil-thin, braided metal connector, which does not look like something that would contain radioactive material. In this case, the pigtail held an iridium-192 radioactive source. The pigtail was inserted into the camera, with one end slightly protruding. This exposed end of the pigtail was then connected to a drive cable.
The welders continued their work, and the radiographer later returned to use the camera, only to find that it malfunctioned. Somehow, the pigtail fell out of the camera, despite the presence of locks that should have prevented this. Unaware of the potential danger, one of the welders picked up the pigtail with his right hand and placed it in his back right pocket. He continued working for another three hours before boarding a bus with other workers to go home. By then, he had started to feel pain in his right thigh.
Upon arriving home, the man complained to his wife about the pain and removed his pants. His wife noticed a red spot on his thigh, and he visited a local doctor, who mistakenly diagnosed it as a bug bite. While the man was at the doctor, his wife breastfed their infant, and their two other young children played near where the pants and the pigtail were lying on the floor.
Once home, the man recalled the pigtail he had picked up earlier and realized it was still in his back pocket. He took it out with his right hand and carried it outside to the outhouse. Later, the plant operator came to his house, inquiring about the missing source. The man went back to the outhouse, picked up the pigtail again with his right hand, and brought it inside to show the operator. Upon seeing it, the operator instructed him to throw it into the street. The pigtail was eventually retrieved safely, and both the street and the house were decontaminated, but by then, the welder’s fate had already been sealed.
After receiving aggressive treatment in Peru, the man was flown to France for advanced care. However, by February 2000, a year after the incident, he had lost his entire right leg and buttock and had developed severe infections in other parts of his body, including his left leg and right hand. Additionally, his wife, who had sat on his pants, suffered a small radioactive burn on her buttock.
