Some 250 people were contaminated and four died in the first month. Brando-Mello CE, Oliveira AR, Valverde NJ, Farina R, Cordeiro JM. 0000004051 00000 n other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the Illustrative Case Study: 1987 Radiological Accident in Goiania, Brazil In September 1987, a hospital in Goiania, Brazil, moved to a new location and left its radiation cancer therapy unit behind. Goinia, Brazil, have provided important information for the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of radiation injuries. Cs-137 was one of the machines left in the abandoned building. Accidents with radiation sources used in medicine and industry also have attracted widespread public attention: Cuidad Juarez (Mexico), Mohamadia (Moroc-co), Goiania (Brazil), San Salvador (El Sal-vador), and Zaragoza (Spain) are names that ap-peared in the news after people were injured in radiation accidents. A sealed source need only be picked up, placed in a lead container, and transported to the radioactive waste storage. Nothing can diminish the civil (and potentially criminal) responsibility of persons liable for the security of a radioactive source. BMJ. Li HH, Lin YT, Laiakis EC, Goudarzi M, Weber W, Fornace AJ Jr. Metabolites. Bookshelf official website and that any information you provide is encrypted His six-year-old daughter, Leide das Neves Ferreira, later ate an egg while sitting on this floor. Disclaimer. Contaminated body fluids and waste were managed. [1] Of this group, 129 people had internal contamination. Cesium chloride from a dumped source that had ended up in a scrap yard spread undetected for over two weeks. Arktis' detectors can also be installed in doorways or used in luggage-handling locations. Conducted a multidisciplinary field study in Goiania, Brazil, 3.5 yrs after an accident involving -1-3-7Cs, a radioactive cesium isotope. 0000001059 00000 n The site is secure. 0000011640 00000 n The human consequences: Dealing with the people affected; 5. Sodium hydroxide solutions, also followed by dissolved potassium alum, were used to treat synthetic floors, machines and typewriters. The accident in September 1987 in Goinia was one of the most serious radiation accidents in history. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. [31], A 1992 episode of Captain Planet and the Planeteers depicts a somewhat loosely-based version of this event in the episode "A Deadly Glow," albeit with a happier ending for all involved, and blaming the contamination of the town on an eco-villain. and transmitted securely. Nursing care, daily medical examinations, and urine/fecal sampling provided the basis for continued therapy. throughout Brazil, as it reminded citizens of the many dangers that could properly recognize the magnitude of the problem. Clinical Symptoms of Localized Cutaneous Radiation Injury (Open Table in a new window) Slottje P, Smidt N, Twisk JW, Huizink AC, Witteveen AB, van Mechelen W, Smid T. BMC Public Health. From this group, 129 people were identified to have internal contamination. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Organic solvents, followed by potassium alum dissolved in hydrochloric acid, were used to treat waxed/greased floors and tables. 5 Things You Should Know About: Central America, 5 Things You Should Know About: South America, 5 Things You Should Know About: North America. Furthermore, regarding attempts to perform retrospective dosimetry (10 years post-accident), the dose estimates using translocation frequencies for victims of 137Cesium indicate the feasibility of this approach only for low level exposure (below 0.5 Gy), while for higher doses there are some limitations, and the requirement to apply appropriate correction factors, which were discussed on the basis of literature data. Several people survived high doses of radiation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket. Pictures were taken by Erwin F. Hirsch, M.D., Professor of Surgery of Boston University School of Medicine and IAEA consultant, in December 1987 roughly three months post-exposure. 26 0 obj<>stream GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Its activities span from assisting Member States to search and secure abandoned sources, to training border guard to detect them and boosting a countrys regulatory capacity. with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help The tables below show the symptoms that manifest with localized cutaneous radiation injury, acute radiation syndrome, and lethal doses of radiation according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [8] Meanwhile, the owners of IGR wrote several letters to the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), warning them about the danger of keeping a teletherapy unit at an abandoned site, but they could not remove the equipment by themselves once a court order prevented them from doing so. Epub 2008 Apr 10. It involves many medical and non-medical disciplines. These findings have implications for past and future radiation accidents. FOIA [1] There, they began dismantling the equipment. On September 13th, 1987 a radioactive contamination accident took place in Goinia, Gois, Brazil. Taking advantage of the absence of the guard,[8] burglars Roberto dos Santos Alves and Wagner Mota Pereira illegally entered the partially demolished IGR site. The device was brought into the home of Mr. Ferreira where he invited his friends and family to view the glowing capsule. 2006 May 30;6:142. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-6-142. The opening of a radiotherapy machine containing cesium-137 led to the direct irradiation of 249 people. Roberto dos Santos Alves together with Wagner Mota Periera, taking advantage of the absence of a security guard, illegally entered the abandoned facility on September 13, 1987. Photograph showing epilation reaction to radioactive emanations sixty-three days after the Nagasaki explosion. -- Kirstie Hansen, Division of Public Information, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100 Telephone: +43 (1) 2600-0, Facsimile +43 (1) 2600-7, 19982023 IAEA, All rights reserved. The importance of dose estimates by biological dosimetry is highlighted, and also several lessons that were learned from the initial to follow-up (7-10 years after the accident) studies, mainly by applying the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method. The Goinia accident resulted in the highest recorded levels of 137 Cs contamination. During a break-in at a disused hospital, thieves stole a medical instrument used for radiotherapy. During this period, the IGR owners wrote numerous letters addressed to the National Nuclear Energy Commission requesting them permission to remove the teletherapy unit due to the dangers that this object pose. (Photo: K. Hansen/IAEA). HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help On September 13, 1987, no guards were protecting the site where the teletherapy unit had been left. "There was no awareness that sources must be controlled from cradle to grave; and to prevent the public accessing them. Updates? Terms of Use, Kirstie Hansen, IAEA Division of Public Information, Governmental, legal and regulatory framework, Security of nuclear and other radioactive material, Radioactive waste and spent fuel management, Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC), International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO), IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, Catalogue of review missions and advisory services, Peer review and advisory services calendar, Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN), International Nuclear Information System (INIS), Advanced Reactors Information System (ARIS), Integrated Nuclear Fuel Cycle Information System (iNFCIS), Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Information System (SRIS), Offices Reporting to the Director General, The Global Schoolhouse on Rua 6, IAEA Bulletin (Vol. The incident resulted in four deaths, and 249 people who were found to carry high levels of radioactive material. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths. To. Results indicate the presence of chronic stress, as measured by . Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Triage was performed in a soccer stadium in which 112,800 people were monitored from September 30 through December 21, 1987. [7] The Court of Gois posted a security guard to protect the site. [citation needed], In 1991, a group of researchers collected blood samples from highly exposed survivors of the incident. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 0000000880 00000 n The experience in Goiania confirmed in general the adequacy of existing diagnostic techniques, antibiotics, measures for platelet separation, and transfusion, as well as the efficiency of Prussian Blue in eliminating internal contamination by Ce-137. It was the worst accident involving a radioactive source that the world has seen. [See the video report from the scrap yard on Rua 6, Goinia, one of the sites affected]. On September 13, 1987, scavengers combing through an abandoned clinic in Goinia, the capital city of Gois state, found a radiation therapy source that had been left behind. Over the next three days, he invited friends and family to view the strange glowing substance. Bookshelf [1] "Cesium 137 is a Collett G, Young WR, Martin W, Anderson RM. After this accident, there was a need to conduct an extensive cleanup to avoid further spread of the radiation. radioactive isotope of cesium which is prevalent due to its spontaneous That same day, his wife, 37-year-old Maria Gabriela Ferreira, began to fall ill. On September 25, 1987, Devair Ferreira sold the scrap metal to a third scrapyard. Some were played with, contaminating hands, and causing the material to be ingested. A photograph of the radioactive source involved in the 1987 accident. author. The two partially disassembled the teletherapy unit placing the source in a wheelbarrow and taking it the Alvess home. It most likely had been used for radiation therapy at the abandoned Goinia Hospital. danger from radiation exposure. because of radioactive contamination of an abandoned piece of hospital Slottje P, Twisk JW, Smidt N, Huizink AC, Witteveen AB, van Mechelen W, Smid T. Qual Life Res. Overview. The removal of a 50.9-TBq 137Cs source from a radiation therapy facility in Goinia gave rise to a radiological accident in September 1987 whose proportions were aggravated by the 16-d interval from the beginning of a series of acts that resulted in the contamination of people and areas, to the mome UG *$IDw;%-$+=3saO3Y>q@2MNyCK!x"pSbqJ_&(Tbr=]GWH`_]7kb%t1y"\PIv1O,% Gp`sq]zwG>Tf. The Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia (IGR), a private radiotherapy institute in Goinia,[1] was just one kilometre (0.6mi) northwest of Praa Cvica, the administrative center of the city. The radiation accident that took place in Goiania, Brazil, Sept 13, 1987, is the best characterized of radiation accidents giving a clear picture of medical and public health response. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal His prolonged exposure to the radioactive material led to his right forearm becoming ulcerated, requiring amputation on October 14.[10]. [3]. HVN@[,{ Mr. Vilmos Friedrich, who heads an IAEAs unit that supports countries to control radioactive sources, says these orphaned sources often enter the scrap metal exchange chain. The Government and authorities in Brazil were faced with a tragic accident in Goinia resulting from the misuse of a strongly radioactive medical teletherapy source not under radiation protection surveillance. with 249 having significant levels of radioactive material in or on Careers. Among the radiation-exposed victims, at least 50 individuals showed symptoms of whole-body and local acute irradiation, and also external or internal contamination. 23 Ss exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation, 23 Ss who experienced anticipatory stress from fear of radiation exposure, and a nonirradiated control group (n = 21) were compared. Before the danger became apparent they broke open the iridium window and found the radiation source, which emitted a strong blue light. However, they did not have enough medical experience or . Many ways of notifying, communicating, and educating must be employed to increase public awareness. Desquamation from their injuries was cared for. The accident was caused primarily startxref The Goiania accident has served to dampen the excitement stirred here only last month with the announcement that Brazil had joined the small number of nations that have the ability to enrich . However, it did feature caesium-137 as the radioactive contaminant, as well as portrayed two young children unwittingly playing with it in a similar manner to Leide das Neves Ferreira, who, unlike the children in the cartoon, received a fatal dose. Authorities had to allocate workers and machinery equivalent to the task. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The people of Goinia, Brazil were tragically caught unaware about the effects of an old radiation source in 1987. The two men would survive, though both suffered nausea and then developed radiation burns; one eventually had an arm amputated. Thinking it was perhaps a type of gunpowder, he tried to light it, but the powder would not ignite. Accident in Goinia," International Atomic Energy Agency, In 2000, CNEN was ordered by the 8th Federal Court of Gois to pay compensation of R$1.3 million (near US$750,000) and to guarantee medical and psychological treatment for the direct and indirect victims of the accident and their descendants down to the third generation.[23]. After this incident, the law court issued security guards to protect this site. Lessons drawn from the 1987 Goinia accident in Brazil are still helping shape actions on radiation safety and security decades later. [ 1, 2] Table 1. Pieces were distributed . Int J Environ Res Public Health. A thousand people were identified as having suffered a dose which was greater than one year of background radiation; it is thought that 97% of these people had a dose of between 10 and 200mSv (between 1 in 2,000 and 1 in 100 risk of developing cancer as a result[citation needed]). The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While the serial number of the device was unknown, thus hindering definitive identification, the device was thought to have been made in the U.S. at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and was used as a radiation source for radiation therapy at the Goinia hospital.[1]. The Federal Court of Goiania blamed the National Nuclear Energy Commission for not taking the necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of the accident. The incident is considered one of the top 10 nuclear [1] The Incident When the Goiania Institute of Radiotherapy relocated, Source: The Radiological Accident in Goiania, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1988 (permission granted to reproduce). 0000003139 00000 n They work entirely passively but are different from . [1] Given time, the body's repair mechanisms will reverse cell damage caused by radiation. Two people entered the premises to search for scrap metal and removed the source assembly, taking it home to try to dismantle it. Overview of the Goinia accident. Attribution of physical complaints to the air disaster in Amsterdam by exposed rescue workers: an epidemiological study using historic cohorts. An official website of the United States government. 0000007721 00000 n endstream endobj 25 0 obj<> endobj 27 0 obj<> endobj 28 0 obj<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]>> endobj 29 0 obj<> endobj 30 0 obj<>stream Despite improvements, worldwide radioactive sources are still lost and abandoned. 19 . In the USA, a 2008 report from the National Research Council has recommended that the US Government should take steps to promote the replacement of cesium chloride radiation sources, used in some medical and research equipment, with lower-risk alternatives. Translocation analysis by the FISH-painting method for retrospective dose reconstruction in individuals exposed to ionizing radiation 10 years after exposure.