Date: 21 June 1990

Location: Sor-Van Radiation Limited, Soreq, Israel

Type of event: irradiator accident

Description:

The accident occurred at a commerical irradiator, in which packages are automatically moved through an area exposed to a cobalt-60 source. Several maintenance problems contributed to the accident, which began when packages became jammed in the irradiation area. An operator choose to reject the radiation warning indicator in favor of an indicator erroneously showing the cobalt source to be in safe (shielded) mode. He overrode safety features to enter the irradiation room; after a short time he felt burning in his eyes and a headache. He then left the room and contacted his supervisor, and shortly after began vomiting; he arrived at a hospital 8 hours after exposure. The worker received a whole body dose between 1000 and 2000 rads and died 36 days later of multiple organ failure, despite efforts including a bone marrow transplant.

Consequences: 1 fatality.

References:

• IAEA, May 1993, The Radiological Accident in Soreq, IAEA (Vienna, Austria), on line at IAEA [http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub925_web.pdf].
• Nagler, A., E. Naparstek, P. Drakos, C. Brautbar, M. Goldman, O. Kaplan, A. Fridmann, and S. Slavin, 1990, "Interleukin-3 in combination with granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor following bone marrow transplantation in a radiation accident victim," Medical Oncology, 11(1):27-28.
• Resnick, I. B., and S. Slavin, 2005, "Lessons from bone marrow transplantation for a victim of a radiological accident with acute radiation syndrome," British Journal of Radiology Supplement, 27:21-25.

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Last modified 22 July 2012.
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