Introduction
Nuclear energy is a versatile energy. It can be used as clean energy for peaceful purposes, but at the same time, it is very harmful in terms of its pollutants, radioactive waste, or leakage processes that affect humans and all living organisms. When we talk about nuclear disasters, the bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan and the Chornobyl nuclear reactor disaster in Ukraine come to mind. In this article, we will shed light on another radiation disaster, which is the Goiania radiation accident in Brazil, as one of the worst civilian radiation accidents in history.
Location of the Incident
The story began in 1971 when a clinic dedicated to radiotherapy was opened near a charity hospital in the center of Goiania, the capital of Brazil. This clinic was equipped with a radiotherapy device that used the highly radioactive cesium 137 (its photon energy is equal to 662 keV). Later, in 1985, they evacuated the clinic and moved to another location, leaving this radioactive device without informing the competent authorities. The following image shows the location of the city on the maps:
How the Story Began
The incident began in September 1987 when two scrap metal collectors found an abandoned medical device in the abandoned clinic building, which people used to enter and exit normally. They moved the device to their home, where they tried to disassemble it in order to sell the precious metal. These two men had no knowledge of radiation or the dangers of dealing with radioactive materials. Within four days, they removed the head and tried to break the lead casing that protected the radioactive cesium chloride salt capsule, but to no avail because the box containing the radioactive material was tightly closed.
But they were able to break the iridium window from which the radiation comes out with a heavy hammer in a junkyard and then they were able to reach the capsule and open it and here the disaster began, after they saw in it a glowing blue stone weighing about 100 grams. That stone is the radioactive substance "cesium 137" used to treat cancer patients, so they decided to take this stone and sell it to the scrap owner in the neighborhood for about 25$, knowing that the price of this substance is much more than this amount, so the scrap owner was impressed by this stone and decided to make a ring for his wife from it.
During the following period, the lead cover was broken and some parts of the capsule were cut into several small pieces that were passed around, so the two men were exposed to a highly radioactive substance, as were relatives and other people in the neighborhood. This substance spread throughout the city, and the result was that the two suffered from chronic diarrhea, vomiting, dizziness, and skin burns, and caused the death of 4 people, the injury of 28, and more than 200 cases of radiation poisoning.
Then the scrap dealer's brother carved part of the capsule, causing its dust to be scattered on the floor of the house where his little daughter was playing. After that, the little girl ate her lunch with her contaminated hands, swallowing the radioactive material. Another brother of the scrap dealer painted a cross on his body, and the radioactive material was transferred with him to his farm, infecting and killing his animals, as well as visitors to the house and those who came to see the beauty of the blue material. They carried the radioactive dust with them everywhere they went. After a short time, traces of the radioactive material were found in many areas of the city and even in another city 60 km away. Discovering the radioactive contamination.
The first to notice everyone's illness was the scrap dealer's wife. At first, she suspected that the diarrhea and other symptoms that affected those around them were caused by some of the drinks that were served in her house, but after conducting tests at the hospital, they denied that. After that, she suspected that the cause was the radioactive substance, so she took one of her husband's workers to carry part of the substance in a plastic bag on his shoulder and went with it to the nearby hospital for the doctor to see it. He knew that it was a dangerous substance and kept it. On September 29, a visiting medical physicist came with a radiation detection device to confirm that the substance was radioactive, and the response to the radiation incident began, bringing in experts from physicists and doctors and examining the areas that were contaminated with radiation and evacuating them.
How the Incident Accumulated
The response to the incident was slow and poorly coordinated, with a lack of resources and knowledge on how to deal with the situation properly. The authorities were not alerted to the danger until several days later and began taking steps to contain the spread of the radioactive substance.
The incident highlighted the need for better education and training on the dangers of radiation and the proper handling of radioactive materials. Following the accident, significant changes were made to regulations and safety protocols in Brazil, and internationally, in order to prevent similar accidents in the future.
The Goiânia accident also demonstrated the need for improved communication and coordination between government agencies and emergency responders in the event of a radiation accident. In the years since the accident, many countries have developed comprehensive emergency response plans to deal with radiation accidents, with the goal of reducing exposure and protecting the health of the public and emergency responders.
What we can Learn from the Story of this Accident
The Goiânia radiation accident serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of safety protocols and the proper handling of radioactive materials. It is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that can occur when safety measures are not taken seriously and highlights the need for education, training, and ongoing preparedness in the event of a radiation emergency.
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