The first three tables below summarize data on radiation accidents and other events (i.e. intentional) that have caused acute radiation injury. They are based on the events listed at the Database of radiological incidents and related events. While this includes the major accidents and event, it is not a complete listing, nor is it a uniform sampling. To illustrate the level of incompleteness, the fourth table will eventually list data from some major databases of radiation accidents and casualties.
| type of event | code | incidents | fatalities | injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| accident involving nuclear reactor | A-R | 11 | 0 | 31 |
| accident involving naval reactor | A-NR | 8 | 33 | 179 |
| accident involving power reactor | A-PR | 1 | 31 | 238 |
| criticality accident | AC | 27 | 17 | 51 |
| criticality accident involving research reactor | AC-RR | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| accelerator accident | A-a | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| accidental dispersal of radioactive material | A-d | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| accidental internal exposure to radioisotope | A-i | 10 | 12 | 79 |
| irradiator accident | A-ir | 21 | 8 | 28 |
| medical radiotherapy accident | A-mr | 31 | 70 | 217 |
| medical x-ray accident | A-mx | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| orphaned source accident | A-os | 23 | 29 | 91 |
| accidental dispersal of orphaned source | A-osd | 2 | 6 | 24 |
| radiography accident | A-rg | 60 | 1 | 75 |
| accidental exposure to source | A-s | 42 | 5 | 66 |
| x-ray accident | A-x | 51 | 0 | 62 |
| radiation accident (unspecified or other) | A | 44 | 3 | 93 |
| intentional exposure of individual (assault) | I-a | 9 | 4 | 81 |
| criminal act (unspecified) | I-c | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| intentional self-exposure | I-s | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| exposures resulting from theft of source | I-t | 8 | 7 | 17 |
| nuclear weapon test | NT | 3 | 1 | 93 |
| TOTAL | 382 | 234 | 1475 | |
| combat use of nuclear weapon | NW | 2 | 195000 | 161000 |
Note: Casualty figures include fatalities from effects other than ionizing radiation in several cases. The 1961 SL-1 reactor incident is counted as a reactor accident, although it appears to have been intentional, not accidental.
| country of event | incidents | fatalities | injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Argentina | 11 | 1 | 13 |
| Australia | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Belarus | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Belgium | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brazil | 2 | 5 | 23 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Chile | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| China (ROC) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| China (PRC) | 15 | 8 | 108 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 7 | 81 |
| Czechoslovakia | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Egypt | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Estonia | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| France | 9 | 2 | 24 |
| Germany (FRG) | 11 | 1 | 13 |
| Germany (GDR) | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Georgia | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Hungary | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| India | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Iraq | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Israel | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Ivory Coast/Senegal | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mexico | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Morocco | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 1 | 0 | 26 |
| Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Panama | 1 | 17 | 11 |
| Peru | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Poland | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Russia (post-Soviet) | 28 | 10 | 37 |
| South Africa | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Spain | 1 | 18 | 9 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Thailand | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Turkey | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| United Kingdom | 12 | 3 | 21 |
| United States | 53 | 42 | 298 |
| U.S.S.R. | 167 | 89 | 671 |
| Vietnam | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Note: these figures do not include the use of two nuclear weapons in combat in Japan in 1945.
| country of event | incidents | fatalities | injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| pre- 1945 | 3 | 9 | 72 |
| 1945-1949 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1950-1954 | 27 | 5 | 151 |
| 1955-1959 | 11 | 6 | 29 |
| 1960-1964 | 26 | 22 | 80 |
| 1965-1969 | 39 | 13 | 132 |
| 1970-1974 | 37 | 16 | 126 |
| 1975-1979 | 56 | 6 | 74 |
| 1980-1984 | 46 | 28 | 85 |
| 1985-1989 | 47 | 51 | 388 |
| 1990-1994 | 32 | 29 | 55 |
| 1995-1999 | 29 | 20 | 127 |
| 2000-2004 | 21 | 25 | 142 |
| 2005-2007 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
Note: these figures do not include the use of two nuclear weapons in combat in Japan in 1945.
© 2004-2007, 2008 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 30 May 2008.
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