List of orphan source incidents

Last updated

This is a chronological list of orphan source incidents and accidents.

Contents

Note: As incident reporting has used inconsistent units of measurement, here are the conversion factors; metric prefixes are used where appropriate - kilo (k), mega (M), giga (G), tera (T):

Propertynon-SI unitSI unit equivalent
Radioactivity 1 Curie (Ci)37 gigabecquerels (GBq)
Equivalent radiation dose 1 rem 0.01 Sievert (Sv)
Absorbed radiation dose 1 rad 0.01 Gray (Gy)

20th century

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

21st century

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

Related Research Articles

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Cobalt-60 (60Co) is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. Deliberate industrial production depends on neutron activation of bulk samples of the monoisotopic and mononuclidic cobalt isotope 59
Co
. Measurable quantities are also produced as a by-product of typical nuclear power plant operation and may be detected externally when leaks occur. In the latter case the incidentally produced 60
Co
is largely the result of multiple stages of neutron activation of iron isotopes in the reactor's steel structures via the creation of its 59
Co
precursor. The simplest case of the latter would result from the activation of 58
Fe
. 60
Co
undergoes beta decay to the stable isotope nickel-60. The activated cobalt nucleus emits two gamma rays with energies of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV, hence the overall equation of the nuclear reaction is: 59
27
Co
+ n → 60
27
Co
60
28
Ni
+ e + 2 γ

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Mayapuri is an industrial locality in the West Delhi district of Delhi, India. It used to be a major hub of heavy metal and small scale industries, but following government sanctions, most of the heavy metal industries moved out. The place is now a combination of light metal factories, scrap markets, and automobile service stations. In 2010, a major radiation accident took place in the scrap yards of Mayapuri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 Mexico City radiation accident</span> Mexican incident with four fatalities

Between March and July 1962, a radiation incident in Mexico City occurred when a ten-year-old boy took home an industrial radiography source that was not contained in its proper shielding. Five individuals received significant overdoses of radiation from the 200-gigabecquerel cobalt-60 capsule, four of whom died.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samut Prakan radiation accident</span> 2000 radiation accident in Thailand

A radiation accident occurred in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand in January–February 2000. The accident happened when an insecurely stored unlicensed cobalt-60 radiation source was recovered by scrap metal collectors who, together with a scrapyard worker, subsequently dismantled the container, unknowingly exposing themselves and others nearby to ionizing radiation. Over the following weeks, those exposed developed symptoms of radiation sickness and eventually sought medical attention. The Office of Atomic Energy for Peace (OAEP), Thailand's nuclear regulatory agency, was notified when doctors came to suspect radiation injury, some 17 days after the initial exposure. The OAEP sent an emergency response team to locate and contain the radiation source, which was estimated to have an activity of 15.7 terabecquerels (420 Ci), and was eventually traced to its owner. Investigations found failure to ensure secure storage of the radiation source to be the root cause of the accident, which resulted in ten people being hospitalized for radiation injury, three of whom died, as well as the potentially significant exposure of 1,872 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioactive source</span>

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The Lia radiological accident began on December 2, 2001, with the discovery of two orphan radiation sources near the Enguri Dam in Tsalenjikha District in the country of Georgia. Three villagers from Lia were unknowingly exposed. All three men were injured, one of whom eventually died. The accident was a result of unlabeled radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) cores which had been improperly dismantled and left behind from the Soviet era. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) led recovery operations and organized medical care.

The theft of radioactive material in Tammiku took place in 1994. Three brothers in Tammiku, Männiku, Saku Parish, Estonia, who were scrap metal scavengers, entered a fenced area in the woods and broke into a small shed that was seemingly abandoned, with stairs leading to an underground hall. The brothers did not know that the buildings were nuclear waste storage facilities. One of the brothers, Ivan, suffered a crush injury when a drum fell onto him. The brothers placed some pieces of metal into their pockets and went home, planning to return later. Ivan placed a metal cylinder in his pocket, not knowing that it was a strong caesium-137 radioactive source that was released from a container broken by the falling drum. He received a 4,000 rad whole-body dose and died 12 days later. Only after Ivan's family's dog died, and Ivan's stepson showed radiation burn of his hands, was the cause of Ivan's death identified. The delay in information was due to the brothers' reluctance to admitting to the break-in.

A radioactive contamination incident occurred in 1984 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, originating from a radiation therapy unit illegally purchased by a private medical company and subsequently dismantled for lack of personnel to operate it. The radioactive material, cobalt-60, ended up in a junkyard, where it was sold to foundries that inadvertently melted it with other metals and produced about 6,000 tons of contaminated rebar. These were distributed in 17 Mexican states and several cities in the United States. It is estimated that 4,000 people were exposed to radiation as a result of this incident.

References

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