Date: May 1986

Location: Kaifeng City, P.R. China

Type of event: accidental exposure to source

Description:

Two individuals were accidentally exposed to a cobalt-60 source for about 3 minutes. During a loss of power, the workers entered the room and put the source in the irradiation position manually. They received whole body doses of 260 and 350 rads, respectively, and developed acute radiation sickness.

Consequences: 2 injuries.

References:

• Mould, R. F., 2000, Chernobyl Record: The Definitive History of the Chernobyl Catastrophe, Institute of Physics Publ. (Bristol, UK).
• UNSCEAR, 2000, "Annex E: Occupational radiation exposures," in Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation UNSCEAR 2000 Report to the General Assembly, with Scientific Annexes, Volume I: Sources, UNSCEAR, on line at UNSCEAR [http://www.unscear.org/docs/reports/annexe.pdf].
• Ziqiang, Pan, Fan Shengen, and Cong Huiling, 1996, "Exposure dose assessment and discussion on radioisotope production and application," Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 206(2):239-249.

© 2004-2006, 2008 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 8 October 2008.
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