ML110600897

Official Exhibit - PWA000015-00-BD01 - Revisiting Goiania - 1987 Radiological Accident in Goiania, Brazil

ML110600897
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	01/03/2011
From:	- No Known Affiliation
To:	Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
SECY RAS
Shared Package
ML110030897	List: ML110030898 ML110030901 ML110030903 ML110030907 ML110030908 ML110030909 ML110030910 ML110030911 ML110600894 ML110600896 ML110600897 ML110600899 ML110600900
References
50-293-LR, ASLBP 06-848-02-LR, PWA 00015, RAS 19369
Download: ML110600897 (1)

Text

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Exhibit # - PWA000015-00-BD01 Docket # - 05000293 Identified: 02/22/2011 Admitted: 02/22/2011 Withdrawn:

Rejected: Stricken:

PWA 00015 Pilgrim LR Proceeding 50-293-LR, 06-848-02-LR PWA- Clean-up Costs, Lessons Learned Revisiting Goiania: Toward a final repository for radioactive waste IAEA Bulletin 1993 Rad waste 3,500 cubic meters 1270 to 1340 curies in waste http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/rdd.pdf Illustrative Case Study: 1987 Radiological Accident in Goiania, Brazil In September 1987, a hospital in Goiania, Brazil, moved to a new location and left its radiation cancer therapy unit behind. Found by scrap metal hunters, it was dismantled and the cesium chloride source containing 1,400 Ci of cesium-137 was removed. Pieces were distributed to family and friends, and several who were intrigued by the glow spread it across their skin. Eleven days later, alert hospital staff recognized symptoms of acute radiation syndrome in a number of victims.

The ensuing panic caused more than 112,000 people - 10% of the population - to request radiation surveys to determine whether they had been exposed. At a makeshift facility in the citys Olympic Stadium, 250 people were found to be contaminated. 28 had sustained radiation-induced skin injuries (burns), while 50 had ingested cesium, so for them the internal deposition translated to an increased risk of cancer over their lifetime. Tragically, 2 men, 1 woman, and 1 child died from acute radiation exposure to the very high levels of gamma radiation from the breached source.

In addition to the human toll, contamination had been tracked over roughly 40 city blocks. Of the 85 homes found to be significantly contaminated, 41 were evacuated and 7 were demolished. It was also discovered that through routine travels, within that short time people had cross-contaminated houses nearly 100 miles away. Cleanup generated 3,500 m3 radioactive waste at a cost of $20 million.

The impacts of this incident continued beyond the health and physical damage to profound psychological effects including fear and depression for a large fraction of the citys inhabitants.

Further, frightened by the specter of radioactive contamination, neighboring provinces isolated Goiania and boycotted its products. The price of their manufactured goods dropped 40% and stayed low for more than a month. Tourism, a primary industry, collapsed and recent population gains were reversed by business regression. Total economic losses were estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. A key lesson learned from this incident is the importance of enhancing the broader understanding of radiation.

This fact sheet is intended to help support that objective.

(For additional information see: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 1988, The Radiological Accident in Goiania, Vienna, Austria.)