Date: 13 May 1975

Location: Brescia, Lombardia, Italy

Type of event: accident with food irradiator

Description:

One person was exposed to a cobalt-60 source in a cereal irradiation facility by climbing onto a conveyor belt to access the irradiation room. He was soon admitted to a hospital where it was initially thought his symptoms were due to exposure to pesticides; it was more than 2 days before he was correctly diagnosed as suffering from radiation exposure. The individual received a whole-body dose of 1,200-rem, with non-uniform exposure, and died 13 days later.

Consequences: 1 fatality (1,200 rem).

References:

• IAEA, 1988, The Radiological Accident in Goiania, IAEA (Vienna, Austria), on line at IAEA [http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf].
• Mould, R. F., 2000, Chernobyl Record: The Definitive History of the Chernobyl Catastrophe, Institute of Physics Publ. (Bristol, UK).
• Nenot, J.-C., 2002, "Second Henri Jammet Memorial Lecture. Radiation accidents--an overview and feedback, 1950-2000," in 8th Coordination Meeting of World Health Organization Collaborating Centres in Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network, REMPAN, WHO [http://www.helid.desastres.net/?e=d-000who--000--1-0--010---4-----0--0-10l--11en-5000---50-about-0---01131-001-110utfZz-8-0-0&a=d&cl=CL1.6&d=Js2993e.4].
• Ortiz, P., M. Oresegun, and J. Wheatley, 2000, "Lessons from major radiation accidents," on line, Internationl Radiation Protection Association [http://www.irpa.net/irpa10/cdrom/00140.pdf].
• 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].

© 2004-2007, 2008 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 26 October 2008.
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