The Radiological Accident in Goiania

Abstract

The removal of a 50.9-TBq 137Cs source from a radiation therapy facility in Goiânia 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 moment of identification and seeking of aid. Data gathered from the declarations of persons involved in the accident, matched with the medical assessment and radiation monitoring of areas affected, made it possible to determine procedures for care of victims and for decontaminating operations of these areas. The priorities of these procedures were to provide care to victims and eliminate critical paths by which other persons might be affected by exposure to radiation or contamination. This paper presents (1) remedial actions taken during the first weeks, (2) management problems associated with the accident, and (3) lessons learned from this episode that are of benefit to us and, hopefully, to others.

Biological effects of space radiation and development of effective countermeasures

“…There is extensive evidence that widespread hemorrhages occurred in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb casualties, even in the relatively low radiation dose groups (311), with the estimated LD 50 values of approximately 2.5 (312, 313). Other information about hemorrhaging in humans after irradiation comes from accidental exposures in Norway (314) and Brazil (315, 316) in which several people were accidently exposed to whole body irradiation at doses near the human LD 50 and widespread hemorrhages were observed.…”

Public health response and medical management of internal contamination in past radiological or nuclear incidents: A narrative review

“…As the source was in powder form, the contamination spread rapidly. Some of the people who had been exposed were hospitalized with symptoms of acute radiation syndrome (ARS), such as vomiting and diarrhea, but as the cause of their illness was then unknown, they were treated as having a tropical disease or an allergic reaction ( IAEA, 1988 ; Rozenthal et al, 1991 ). On September 28, one of the patients connected her illness with the source and took part of the source in a bag to the public health department, this led to the discovery of the accident: A physician who suspected the illness could be ARS asked a physicist for help, they confirmed that the material in the bag was radioactive and the dose rate measured at surface was 10 Sv h −1 .…”

“…On September 28, one of the patients connected her illness with the source and took part of the source in a bag to the public health department, this led to the discovery of the accident: A physician who suspected the illness could be ARS asked a physicist for help, they confirmed that the material in the bag was radioactive and the dose rate measured at surface was 10 Sv h −1 . The physicist evacuated the area and notified the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) immediately ( Rozenthal et al, 1991 ; Brandão-Mello, 1991 ).…”

“…People who lived in one of the foci or had any contact with the exposed individuals were monitored for potential contamination. Public information sessions and press conferences were organized along with the distribution of 250,000 information pamphlets and a 24/7 telephone advice service ( Rozenthal et al, 1991 ).…”

“…It was noted that some individual’s symptoms had actually been caused by these fears. In addition to traditional communication through the media, psychologists were trained to communicate with the public and the responders; a booklet explaining the terms and units related to radiation risks and measurement results was provided to the public ( Rozenthal et al, 1991 ).…”