radioactive exposure accident in goiania brazil

On September 13, 1987, no guards were protecting the site where the teletherapy unit had been left. [3] M. Simons, The author recalls her experiences during the follow-up of the radiological accident in Goiania, Brazil, in 1987, when a 137cs capsule was removed from an abandoned radiotherapy clinic. [9], On September 15, Pereira visited a local clinic, where his symptoms were diagnosed as the result of something he had eaten; he was told to return home and rest. In the IAEA publication Medical Handling of Accidentally Exposed Individuals (Safety Series No. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! Mutat Res. In September 1987, an accident with 137Cesium occurred in Goinia city, Brazil; the accident started with the removal of a 50.9-TBq 137Cesium source from an abandoned radiotherapy unit. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket. During site demolition, the unit was partly demolished. Mile Island, Pennsylvania, and Goiania, Brazil," Military Medicine, Vol. [1]. Overview. The day before the sale to the third scrapyard, on September 24, Ivo, Devair's brother, successfully scraped some additional dust out of the source and took it to his house a short distance away. Two people entered the premises to search for scrap metal and removed the source assembly, taking it home to try to dismantle it. [ 1, 2] Table 1. They work entirely passively but are different from . [20] If the dose is spread over a long time period, these mechanisms can mitigate the effects of radiation poisoning.[21]. and transmitted securely. the machine, the remaining Cs-137 was released. Cytogenetic analysis was used to distinguish severely irradiated victims from those less exposed. Estimated dosages received ranged from 4.5-6.0 Gy (total body dose, independently estimated based on cytogenetics). Telephone: +43 (1) 2600-0, Facsimile +43 (1) 2600-7, 19982023 IAEA, All rights reserved. 5 Things You Should Know About: Central America, 5 Things You Should Know About: South America, 5 Things You Should Know About: North America. Slottje P, Twisk JW, Smidt N, Huizink AC, Witteveen AB, van Mechelen W, Smid T. Qual Life Res. [1] Employees at the junkyard were fascinated by The incident is considered to be among the worst nuclear disasters to have happened. and transmitted securely. Cesium chloride from a dumped source that had ended up in a scrap yard spread undetected for over two weeks. A relevant aspect discussed on the basis of the results obtained in those studies refers to the incidence of chromosomal translocations, which were directly compared to the initial frequencies of dicentrics that were previously used to estimate the absorbed doses. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies PMC The event focused international attention on the issue of safety standards for radioactive sources. They compared subjects exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation, subjects who experienced anticipatory stress from fear of radiation exposure, and a nonirradiated control group. Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam. The accident was caused primarily because of radioactive contamination of an abandoned piece of hospital machinery. Decontamination; 10. The following day, Pereira began to experience diarrhea and dizziness, and his left hand began to swell. Twenty people were identified by medical triage as needing hospitalization. Telephone: +43 (1) 2600-0, Facsimile +43 (1) 2600-7, 19982023 IAEA, All rights reserved. 0000011640 00000 n The Institute Goiano de Radioterapia (IGR) moved locations in 1985 and left behind a teletherapy unit in the process. Gabriela Maria Ferreira, the wife of scrapyard owner Devair Ferreira, was the first to appreciate that something was wrong and took the capsule to a hospital where it was identified as dangerous. "in a radiation accident now proving to be the most serious of its kind [2] Eventually, twenty people showed signs of radiation sickness and required treatment.[2]. In September 1987, a powder radioactive source was removed from a teletherapy machine in Goinia, Brazil. The accident in September 1987 in Goinia was one of the most serious radiation accidents in history. 137. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths. Two people survived such a dosage. radioactive isotope of cesium which is prevalent due to its spontaneous In the recovery of lost sources, the IAEA recommends careful planning and using a crane or other device to place shielding (such as a pallet of bricks or a concrete block) near the source to protect recovery workers. It was the start of a process that has been described as one of the worlds worst nuclear accidents. Over a period of five days, friends and family, noticing that the pellets glowed in the dark, took them home as trinkets. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The Government and authorities in Brazil were faced with a tragic accident in Goinia resulting from the misuse of a strongly radioactive medical teletherapy source not under radiation protection surveillance. trailer The incident led to fours death including Mr. Ferreira's six-year-old daughter and 37-year-old wife and two employees who worked in the scrapyard. Sodium hydroxide solutions, also followed by dissolved potassium alum, were used to treat synthetic floors, machines and typewriters. Her aunt would also be a victim. If you would like to learn more about the IAEAs work, sign up for our weekly updates containing our most important news, multimedia and more. A sealed source need only be picked up, placed in a lead container, and transported to the radioactive waste storage. In light of the deaths caused, the three doctors who had owned and operated IGR were charged with criminal negligence. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Goiania-accident, International Atomic Energy Agency - The Radiological Accident in Goiania. Carlos warned Lcio Teixeira Borges, the president of the Ipsago, the Institute of insurance and civil servants that he would not take responsibility of what would happen with the dangerous cesium bomb. The radiotherapy source responsible for the Goinia accident was a small capsule which was approximately 93 grams of cesium chloride, a highly radioactive material. Exposure doses of an emergency medical responder who cares for a patient who was contaminated with radionuclides that are expected to be released during a nuclear disaster. [7][clarification needed], Four months before the theft, on May 4, 1987, Saura Taniguti, then director of Ipasgo, the institute of insurance for civil servants, used police force to prevent one of the owners of IGR, Carlos Figueiredo Bezerril, from removing the radioactive material that had been left behind. They disassembled the unit and carried it home, thinking that it was a valuable object. Rummaging through the abandoned building, two men found the machine and The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Other contamination was also found in or on:[25], The original teletherapy capsule was seized by the Brazilian military as soon as it was discovered, and since then the empty capsule has been on display at the Escola de Instruo Especializada ("School of Specialized Instruction") in Rio de Janeiro as a memento to those who participated in the cleanup of the contaminated area. Before An old teletherapy unit containing That same day, his wife, 37-year-old Maria Gabriela Ferreira, began to fall ill. On September 25, 1987, Devair Ferreira sold the scrap metal to a third scrapyard. In 1987, a container full of cesium-137, a radioactive element used to combat cancer, was opened by the owner of a junkyard in Goiania, Brazil. The cleanup operation was much harder for this event than it could have been because the source was opened and the active material was water-soluble. [2] C. Wessells, MeSH government site. Periera continued to dismantle the device which further exposed him to the radioactive material which resulted in his right foreman needing amputation. The total volume of waste was 3500 cubic meters, more than 275 truckloads. More Information on reusing IAEA copyright material. With the assumption that the radioactive source had value they dismantled the source without knowing the risk of exposure. The lead and steel canister looked innocent enough, but it held a small capsule with an iridium window, full of highly radioactive cesium chloride. The Goiania accident took place on September 13th, 1987. Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. 26 0 obj<>stream These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. Although these articles may currently differ in style from others on the site, they allow us to provide wider coverage of topics sought by our readers, through a diverse range of trusted voices. The importance of dose estimates by biological dosimetry is highlighted, and also several lessons that were learned from the initial to follow-up (7-10 years after the accident) studies, mainly by applying the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method. "With all the developments which took place since the Goinia accident - in terms of controlling the movement of radioactive sources, preparing emergency response plans and waste management - certainly the public and the environment are better protected now than 20 years ago," Didier Louvat, Head of IAEA Waste and Environmental Safety says. All the objects from within those houses were removed and examined. Waste was placed first into temporary planned waste storage then moved to permanent planned storage. The first caesium-137 radiation therapy device was imported into Brazil from the United States in the 1950s. Camparoto ML, Ramalho AT, Natarajan AT, Curado MP, Sakamoto-Hojo ET. 1). On 13 September 1987, a radiation accident occurred in the city of Goiania in Central Brazil. 0000000636 00000 n The Goiania accident has served to dampen the excitement stirred here only last month with the announcement that Brazil had joined the small number of nations that have the ability to enrich . Slottje P, Smidt N, Twisk JW, Huizink AC, Witteveen AB, van Mechelen W, Smid T. BMC Public Health. Cs-137 was one of the machines left in the abandoned building. The opening of a radiotherapy machine containing cesium-137 led to the direct irradiation of 249 people. The incident resulted in four deaths, and 249 people who were found to carry high levels of radioactive material. In September 1987, an accident with 137 Cesium occurred in Goinia city, Brazil; the accident started with the removal of a 50.9-TBq 137 Cesium source from an abandoned radiotherapy unit. [7] Figueiredo then warned the president of Ipasgo, Lcio Teixeira Borges, that he should take responsibility "for what would happen with the caesium bomb". Mr. Ferreira who survived the ordeal later succumbed to cirrhosis and died in 1994 following a history of depression and excessive alcohol consumption. 0000000880 00000 n in Goiania Brazil (shown in Fig. Scientific, technical publications in the nuclear field | IAEA 2 Conventional Methods of External Beam Radiotherapy The use of radiation to treat patients started a few months after the x-ray was discovered by Roentgen in 1895 and has been used since then. Anticipatory stress associated with potential exposure to ionizing radiation resulted in a level of stress similar to that from actual exposure to ionizing radiation. In 1987 in the city of Goiania, Brazil, occurred one of the worst radiological accidents ever reported. This is thought in some cases to be because the dose was fractionated. After five days, the finders sold the partially dismantled unit to a local scrapyard, where the glowing source became an object of curiosity that attracted dozens of spectators. Accessibility Apart of this, in general terms, important aspects to be mentioned refer to the need for better care and control of radioactive devices, as well as adequate education programs for professionals and also the population. Authorities had to allocate workers and machinery equivalent to the task. The Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia (IGR), a private radiotherapy institute in Goinia,[1] was just one kilometre (0.6mi) northwest of Praa Cvica, the administrative center of the city. Four people died within four weeks of hospital admission. Prussian blue was used to internally decontaminate many people, although by the time it was applied, much of the radioactive material had already migrated from the bloodstream to the muscle tissue, greatly hampering its effectiveness. That same evening, they both began to vomit due to radiation sickness. [1] Alves, however, continued with his efforts to dismantle the equipment and eventually freed the caesium capsule from its protective rotating head. Three doctors from the abandoned clinic were charged with criminal negligence for leaving such a dangerous piece of equipment behind when the facility was closed down. 2003 Sep 29;530(1-2):1-7. doi: 10.1016/s0027-5107(03)00132-5. World Population By Percentage of Blood Types. The Goinia accident was identified as one of the worst nuclear disasters in the world by the Time magazine while the International Atomic Energy Agency named it one of the worst radiological incidents in the world. The .gov means its official. [2] According to scientists, the government Conducted a multidisciplinary field study in Goiania, Brazil, 3.5 yrs after an accident involving -1-3-7Cs, a radioactive cesium isotope. Human exposure to ionizing radiation has increased over time, mainly due to medical applications, occupational and environmental exposure, as well as accidents involving radioactive materials. The Goiania accident was a radioactive accident that happened at Goiania, the capital of Gois state in Brazil. Lindholm C, Tekkel M, Veidebaum T, Ilus T, Salomaa S. Int J Radiat Biol. He soon developed a burn on his hand in the same size and shape as the aperture he eventually underwent partial amputation of several fingers. On September 13, 1987, scavengers combing through an abandoned clinic in Goinia, the capital city of Gois state, found a radiation therapy source that had been left behind. Goinia accident, discovery and subsequent mishandling of a radioactive canister in Goinia, Brazil, in September 1987 that caused the deaths of four people and the contamination of about 250 others. 2007 Dec 1;335(7630):1106-7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39377.655845.80. Maria Gabriela Ferreira notifies authorities, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Ciudad Jurez cobalt-60 contamination incident, "Columbia Scientists Prepare for a Threat: A Dirty Bomb", "How one handful of powder contaminated a whole city", "The Worst Nuclear Disasters Photo Essays", "Time to better secure radioactive materials", "Me acredita que Leide das Neves a "santa" criada pela tragdia do csio", "Pas est preparado para atuar em acidente radioativo", "Goinia, 25 anos depois: 'perguntam at se brilhamos', diz vtima", "Fractionation (radiation therapy) | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.org", Vtimas do csio 137 voltam a receber remdios e pedem assistncia mdica para todos, "Case Law and Administrative Decisions, Judgement of the Federal Court in the Public Civil Action concerning the Goinia Accident", "Countering Radiological Terrorism: Consequences of the Radiation Exposure Incident in Goiania (Brazil)", 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1996)27:3<165::AID-EM1>3.0.CO;2-E, 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1996)28:3<267::AID-EM11>3.0.CO;2-D, 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1997)29:2<107::AID-EM1>3.0.CO;2-B, "Captain Planet and the Planeteers - The Deadly Glow - TheTVDB.com", Detailed Report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1988, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goinia_accident&oldid=1142678476, Radiation source left unsecured by authorities, two nested stainless steel canisters welded to, a protective internal shield (usually uranium metal or a tungsten alloy) and, a cylinder of radioactive source material, often but not always, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 20:13. The two thieves were not included as defendants in the public civil suit. Questions or concerns? The tables below show the symptoms that manifest with localized cutaneous radiation injury, acute radiation syndrome, and lethal doses of radiation according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disclaimer. On September 13th of 1987 a nuclear incident occurred "Before the 1987 accident the regulations were weak when it came to controlling radiation used in medicine and industry worldwide," says Eliana Amaral, IAEA Director of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety. Ferreira began to share some of them with various friends and family members. A brother of the scrapyard owner took some cesium home, where his six-year-old daughter played with the powder. Environmental assessments; 9. 0000005024 00000 n The site is secure. What Is The Official Language Of The United States? Introduction and account of actions taken; 8. 6. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal Brando-Mello CE, Oliveira AR, Valverde NJ, Farina R, Cordeiro JM. After the houses were emptied, vacuum cleaners were used to remove dust, and plumbing was examined for radioactivity. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The dissembling of the machine was the beginning of the accident since that was when radiation was released. The accident occurred after an old radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site. [7][8], On September 13, 1987, the guard who was tasked with protecting the site did not show up for work. Four people died a short time later; at least 21 suffered severe external radiation damage. Before the danger became apparent they broke open the iridium window and found the radiation source, which emitted a strong blue light. The lead and steel canister looked innocent enough, but it held a small capsule with an iridium window, full of highly radioactive cesium chloride. with 249 having significant levels of radioactive material in or on The people began showing gastrointestinal and flu-like symptoms, hair loss, and general malaise, not initially recognized as due to irradiation. of Goiania was not prompt in its response to the emergency and did not Communicating risk to the public after radiological incidents. Goiania Radiation Accident. radiation exposure. Accident in Goinia," International Atomic Energy Agency, Environmental contamination necessitated evacuation of 41 residences, demolition of seven homes, and removal of large amounts of soil by heavy machinery. Hundreds are accidentally poisoned in Brazil On September 18, 1987, cesium-137 is removed from an abandoned cancer-therapy machine in Brazil. It began to become clear that several people were falling ill at the same time. Cs source for radiotherapy Uncontrollable radiation exposure continued from September 13. th. h1). 2006 May 30;6:142. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-6-142. poisoning. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Over the next three days, he invited friends and family to view the strange glowing substance. If you would like to learn more about the IAEAs work, sign up for our weekly updates containing our most important news, multimedia and more. FOIA The incident took place in Goiania, Brazil. Translocation analysis by the FISH-painting method for retrospective dose reconstruction in individuals exposed to ionizing radiation 10 years after exposure. UG *$IDw;%-$+=3saO3Y>q@2MNyCK!x"pSbqJ_&(Tbr=]GWH`_]7kb%t1y"\PIv1O,% Gp`sq]zwG>Tf. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help [30] It won several awards at the 1990 Festival de Braslia. It will provide guidelines for regulatory authorities, scrap dealers and metal recyclers on how to deal with radioactive sources found in the scrap. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, The Radiological Accident in Goinia, Non-serial Publications , IAEA, Vienna (1988), Download to:EndNote BibTeX*use BibTeX for Zotero. 24 17 After this incident, the law court issued security guards to protect this site. 19 . Goinia, Brazil, have provided important information for the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of radiation injuries. 0000008661 00000 n Radiation Exposure Injuries. The accident occurred after an old radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site. Maria Gabriela Ferreira had been the first to notice that many people around her had become severely ill at the same time. On September 16, Alves succeeded in puncturing the capsule's aperture window with a screwdriver, allowing him to see a deep blue light coming from the tiny opening he had created. Dust from the powder fell on the egg she was consuming; she eventually absorbed 1.0GBq and received a total dose of 6.0Gy, more than a fatal dose even with treatment.[11][12]. Scientists believe that even after the cleanup had been done, more than 7 TBq of radioactivity was not eliminated. The Goiania accident claimed at least four lives and affected many others. endstream endobj 25 0 obj<> endobj 27 0 obj<> endobj 28 0 obj<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB]>> endobj 29 0 obj<> endobj 30 0 obj<>stream "There was no awareness that sources must be controlled from cradle to grave; and to prevent the public accessing them. The site is secure. government site. had knowledge of the abandoned radioactive material in the building. Public responses to the Salisbury Novichok incident: a cross-sectional survey of anxiety, anger, uncertainty, perceived risk and avoidance behaviour in the local community. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. Initial actions upon discovery of the accident; Part II. [26][27][28][29], A 1990 film, Csio 137 O Pesadelo de Goinia ("Caesium-137 The Nightmare of Goinia"), a dramatisation of the incident, was made by Roberto Pires. Finally, we discuss some reforms for better federal controls of nuclear radiation sources, which were proposed by scientific organizations in Brazil before GRI. A private radiotherapy institute moved to new premises, leaving behind a teletherapy unit containing a Ce-137 source, without notifying authorities and without securing the site. Background information; 3. to 29. th, 1987 (16 days) Recovery phase lasted for 6 months 23 Ss exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation, 23 Ss who experienced anticipatory stress from fear of radiation exposure, and a nonirradiated control group (n = 21) were compared. As the Cs-137 spread around Goiania, individuals Waste disposal; Part IV. Epub 2006 Nov 8. Low Resolution Video. Gets Help on Radiation Accident," New York Times, 11 Oct 87. In the morning of September 29, a visiting medical physicist[14] used a scintillation counter to confirm the presence of radioactivity and persuaded the authorities to take immediate action. Nursing care, daily medical examinations, and urine/fecal sampling provided the basis for continued therapy. It involves many medical and non-medical disciplines. The removal of a 50.9-TBq 137Cs source from a radiation therapy facility in Goinia gave rise to a radiological accident in September 1987 whose proportions were aggravated by the 16-d interval from the beginning of a series of acts that resulted in the contamination of people and areas, to the mome On September 13th, 1987 a radioactive contamination accident took place in Goinia, Gois, Brazil. [32], The state government of Gois established the Fundao Leide das Neves Ferreira in February 1988, both to study the extent of contamination of the population as a result of the incident and to render aid to those affected.[33]. Rubin GJ, Webster R, Amlot R, Carter H, Weston D, Wessely S. BMJ Open. Two men found the canister and took it home in a wheelbarrow. The testing of an additional 112,000 people was required. Even after the cleanup, 7TBq of radioactivity remained unaccounted for. The IAEA introduced rigorous safety standards for radioactive sources, namely the International Basic Safety Standards No. It is not clear from the IAEA report to what degree this was practised. Radiation accident, Goiania, Brazil, Sept 13, 1987. [2] Of those, 249 were indeed found to be contaminated some with radioactive residue still on their skin through the use of Geiger counters. However, as the study also states, it is not easy to find the equivalent replacement for certain applications, which is part of the reason why such sources are still in use. Urine from victims was treated with ion-exchange resin to compact the waste for ease of storage. began getting sick and many were suffering from acute radiation Once news of the source of the illness reached authorities and the media, many swarmed hospitals by the thousands with fear that that had been exposed. Brazil, in September 1987. Mutat Res. On 13 September 1987, a radiation accident occurred in the city of Goinia in Central Brazil. Cesium chloride from a dumped source that had ended up in a scrap yard spread undetected for over two weeks. Collett G, Young WR, Martin W, Anderson RM. Radioactive contamination and radiation exposure could occur if radioactive materials are released into the environment as the result of an accident, an event in nature, or an act of terrorism. Some 250 people were contaminated and four died in the first month. It was the worst accident involving a radioactive source that the world has seen. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! The remains of Cs-137 contamination in a terrain where part of a radiotherapy unit had been . Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, The Goinia Radioactivity Accident Of 1987, Largest Traffic Accident Pile-Ups In History. [1] He inserted the screwdriver and successfully scooped out some of the glowing substance. Painted surfaces could be scraped, while floors were treated with acid and Prussian blue mixtures. Some were played with, contaminating hands, and causing the material to be ingested. When IGR moved to its new premises in 1985, it left behind a caesium-137-based teletherapy unit that had been purchased in 1977. 2020 Sep 25;10(9):e036071. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? [1] There, they began dismantling the equipment. Radiation accident, Goiania, Brazil, Sept 13, 1987. 2021 Nov 20;18(22):12188. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182212188. Four people died a short time later; at least 21 suffered severe external radiation damage. Feb . The opening of a radiotherapy machine containing cesium-137 led to the direct irradiation of 249 people. other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the Would you like email updates of new search results? from the United States and the Soviet Union traveled to Brazil to help In the attempt, the source capsule ruptured. The Goinia accident resulted in the highest recorded levels of 137 Cs contamination. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, The Goinia Radioactivity Accident Of 1987, Largest Traffic Accident Pile-Ups In History. Decorporation using Prussian Blue, for those internally contaminated, continued for more than two months until safe to discharge from hospital. their body." "Brazil These findings have implications for past and future radiation accidents. In 2007, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation determined that the rate of caesium-137 related diseases are the same in Goinia accident survivors as they are in the population at large. National Library of Medicine At the invitation of the Brazilian government, the authors conducted a multidisciplinary field study in Goiania, Brazil, 3 1/2 years after an accident involving 137 Cs, a radioactive cesium isotope. The accident in September 1987 in Goinia was one of the most serious radiation accidents in history. The device was brought into the home of Mr. Ferreira where he invited his friends and family to view the glowing capsule. Cytogenetic damage in lymphocytes for the purpose of dose reconstruction: a review of three recent radiation accidents. The human consequences: Dealing with the people affected; 5. Sampling of air, food and fruit, soil, groundwater, sediment, river water, and drinking water took place. [The consequences of unforeseen cesium-137 irradiation]. Proceedings of the International Seminar Recovery Operations in the Event of A Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, Vienna, 06-10 Nov 1989, IAEA-SM-316/18, . Documenting an accident, and disseminating lessons learned to the emergency responders and to the public, acts as refresher training, keeping the important points in mind and preventing the facts from being blurred with the passage of time. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Li HH, Lin YT, Laiakis EC, Goudarzi M, Weber W, Fornace AJ Jr. Metabolites. Approximately 250 people were exposed to a 137Cs source . 0000004051 00000 n His prolonged exposure to the radioactive material led to his right forearm becoming ulcerated, requiring amputation on October 14.[10]. BMJ. Results indicate the presence of chronic stress, as measured by . On September 18, Alves sold the items to a nearby scrapyard.