Date: 1995

Location: France

Type of event: accidental exposure to lost source

Description:

A worker with insufficient training disregarded signage associated with a radioactive source and disassembled a density gauge at a textile treatment planet, handling the 0.2-curie cesium-137 source for 30-45 minutes. He felt a burning sensation in one hand when he was done, and a few days later radiation injury was identified. Skin reddening and a lesion on one hand developed over the next two weeks. Localized dose was estimated as 3,000 rad and whole body dose as 20 rad.

Consequences: 1 injury.

References:

• European ALARA, 24 Aug. 2011, "Study case no. 16: Incident in a textile treatment plant," European ALARA Newsletter, on line [http://www.eu-alara.net/images/stories/Incidents/incident16.pdf].
• OTHEA, 2011, "Deterministic effects to worker's hand during unauthorised density gauge disassembly," OTHEA, on line [http://www.othea.net/index.php/en/reports-industrial/78-jauges/36-manipulation-dune-jauge-dans-une-usine-de-traitement-de-textile.html].
• 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, 2011 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 19 November 2011.
Return to Home. Return to Nuclear Weapons Resources. Return to Database of radiological incidents and related events.