Date: 1985

Location: Visakhapatnam, India

Type of event: radiography accident

Description:

Improper procedures and maintenance of a cobalt-60 radiography projector caused overexposures to two individuals. The operator received a skin doses of 1,000 to 2,000 rad, damaging the fingers of which one had to be amputated. Skin exposure to the assistant was 18 rad.

Consequences: 1 injury.

References:

• 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 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 11 June 2006.
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