Date: 2 April 1977

Location: Atucha, Argentina

Type of event: injury from radiological contamination

Description:

A worker at a nuclear reactor was not wearing lead gloves and cut his hand on the edge of a plug. The wound was contaminated by 0.1 microcuries of radioactive material producing a localized radiation dose over a period of several years. The incident was identified when the worker later entered a controlled area and the contamination was detected. Surgery was eventually required in 1985 to remove the contamination.

Consequences: 1 injury.

References:

• Gimenez, J. C., M. A. Righetti, and E. Thomasz, April 1988, "Diagnostic procedure and treatment of a residual radioactive contamination with Co-60," 7th IRPA Congress Proceedings, on line, IRPA [http://www2000.irpa.net/irpa7/cdrom/VOL.2/S2_76.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].

© 2004-2006, 2007 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 18 September 2007.
Return to Home. Return to Nuclear Weapons Resources. Return to Database of radiological incidents and related events.