Date: June 1996-9 October 1997

Location: Lilo Training Center, Tbilsi, Georgia

Type of event: lost sources

Description:

From April to August 1997 several soldiers at the Lilo Training Centre developed skin lesions, which were recognized as radiation burns in August. On 26 August a radiation hot spot was discoverd at the training site near an underground shelter. On 13 September a source was removed from one soldier's jacket. Eleven patients had been identified by October with radiation ulcers, in 9 cases extending to the muscles. Several individuals suffered vomiting. Twelve individual cesium-137 sources were found, including several 30 cm underground in a soccer field, 10 cm below ground in a smoking area, some in lead containers, and one in the soldier's jacket. In addition one cobalt-60 source and 200 sighting devices containing radium-226 were found. Estimated doses are as high as (for the 11 individuals) 590, 420, 410, 150, 110, 110, 70, 60, 60, 20, and 20 rem. Seven were still under treatment in 1999.

Consequences: 11 injuries.

References:

• Gottlober, Petra, Guntram Bezold, Lutz Weber, Patrick Gourmelon, Jean Marc Cosset, Wolfgang Bahren, Hans J. Hald, Theodor M. Fliedner, and Ralf U. Peter, March 2000, "The radiation accident in Georgia: Clinical appearance and diagnosis of cutaneous radiation syndrome," Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 42:453-458.
• IAEA, September 2000, The Radiological Accident in Lilo, IAEA (Vienna, Austria), on line at IAEA [http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1097_web.pdf].
• Roy, L., E. Gregoire, V. Durand, V. Buard, M. Delbos, N. Paillole, I. Sorokine-Durm, P. Gourmelon, and P. Voisin, 2006, "Study of the tools available in biological dosimetry to estimate the dose in cases of accidental complex overexposure to ionizing radiation: The Lilo accident," International Journal of Radiation Biology, 82(1):39-48.
• UNSCEAR, 2011, "Annex C: Radiation exposures in accidents," in Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation: United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation UNSCEAR 2008 Report to the General Assembly, with Scientific Annexes, Volume II: Effects, UNSCEAR, on line at UNSCEAR [https://www.unscear.org/unscear/uploads/documents/publications/UNSCEAR_2008_Annex-C-CORR.pdf].

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