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| {{Coord|-16.6746|-49.2641 |format=dms |display=title |type:event_region:BR|name=Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia}} <!-- these are coordinates for the abandoned hospital (caesium source) / Ref=MTCDPub -->
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| [[File:Teletherapy Capsule2.svg|300px|thumb|A teletherapy radiation capsule composed of the following: <br>A.) an [[international standard source holder]] (usually lead), <br>B.) a retaining ring, and <br>C.) a teletherapy "source" composed of <br>D.) two nested stainless steel canisters welded to <br>E.) two stainless steel lids surrounding <br>F.) a protective internal shield (usually uranium metal or a tungsten alloy) and <br>G.) a cylinder of radioactive source material, often but not always [[cobalt-60]]. In the Goiânia incident it was [[caesium-137]]. The diameter of the "source" is 30 mm.]]The '''Goiânia accident''' was a [[radioactive contamination]] accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, at [[Goiânia]], in the [[Brazil]]ian state of [[Goiás]], after an old [[radiotherapy]] source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site in the city. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths. About 112,000 people were examined for radioactive contamination and 249 were found to have significant levels of radioactive material in or on their body.<ref name=MTCDPub>{{cite book | | title = The Radiological accident in Goiânia | publisher = International Atomic Energy Agency |location = Vienna| year = 1988 | isbn = 92-0-129088-8 |url=http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite journal|last=Foderaro|first= Lisa|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/nyregion/09dirty.html|title=Columbia Scientists Prepare for a Threat: A Dirty Bomb"|journal=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 8, 2010}}</ref> In the cleanup operation, [[topsoil]] had to be removed from several sites, and several houses were demolished. All the objects from within those houses were removed and examined. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine has identified the accident as one of the world's "worst [[nuclear disaster]]s" and the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] called it "one of the world's worst radiological incidents".<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887705_1862268,00.html The Worst Nuclear Disasters]</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/time-to-better-secure-radioactive-materials/2012/03/23/gIQAn5deaS_story.html |title=Time to better secure radioactive materials |author=[[Yukiya Amano]] |date=March 26, 2012 |work=Washington Post }}</ref>
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| == Nature of the source ==
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| The radiation source in the Goiânia accident was a small capsule containing about {{convert|93|g}} of highly [[radioactive decay|radioactive]] [[caesium chloride]] (a caesium salt made with a [[radioactive isotope|radioisotope]], [[caesium-137]]) encased in a shielding canister made of [[lead]] and [[steel]]. The source was positioned in a container of the wheel type, where the wheel turns inside the casing to move the source between the storage and irradiation positions.<ref name=MTCDPub/>
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| [[File:GoiâniaRadiationsource.gif|thumb|400px|centre|A wheel type radiotherapy device which has a long [[collimator]] to focus the radiation into a narrow beam. The caesium chloride radioactive source is the blue rectangle, and gamma rays are represented by the beam emerging from the aperture.]]
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| {| class="wikitable" style="cellpadding: 1%; float: right;"
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| |+ Comparison of radioactivities
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| |-
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| ! Goiânia source | |
| ! [[Becquerel#SI multiples|TBq]]
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| |-
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| | 1971
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| | align="right" |74
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| |-
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| | 1987
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| | align="right" |50.9
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| |-
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| | Recovered
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| | align="right" |44
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| |-
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| | Unrecovered (c. 1987)
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| | align="right" |7
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| |-
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| | Unrecovered (c. 2012)
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| | align="right" |3.9
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| |-
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| | Smoke detector
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| | align="right" | 0.000000037
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| |-
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| |}
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| The activity of the source was 74 [[Becquerel|terabecquerels]] (TBq) in 1971. The [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] (IAEA) describes the container - 51 millimeters (2 inches) in diameter and 48 mm (1.8 inches) long - as an "international standard capsule". The specific activity of the active solid was about 814 [[Becquerel|TBq]]·kg<sup>−1</sup> of [[caesium-137]] ([[half life]] of 30 years). The dose rate at one meter from the source was 4.56 [[Gray (unit)|gray]] per hour (456 rad·hr<sup>−1</sup>). While the serial number of the device was unknown, thus hindering definitive identification, the device was thought to have been made in the United States at [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] and was used as a radiation source for [[radiation therapy]] at the Goiânia hospital.<ref name=MTCDPub/>
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| The IAEA document indicates that:
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| * The dose rate due to external irradiation from uniform contamination of the ground by <sup>137</sup>Cs is <math>1.6 \times 10^{-12} \frac{\text{Sv}/\text{h}}{\text{Bq}/\text{m}^2}</math>
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| * The internal dose for ingestion is <math>1.2 \times 10^{-8} \frac{\text{Sv}}{\text{Bq}}</math>
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| * The internal dose for inhalation is <math>8.7 \times 10^{-9} \frac{\text{Sv}}{\text{Bq}}</math>
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| The IAEA states that the source contained {{convert|50.9|TBq|Ci|abbr=on}} when it was taken and that about 44 TBq (1200 Ci, 87%) of radioactivity had been recovered during the cleanup operation. This means that {{convert|7|TBq|Ci|abbr=on}} remained in the environment; it will have decayed to about {{convert|3.9|TBq|Ci|abbr=on}} by 2012.
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| == Events ==
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| === Hospital abandonment ===
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| [[File:culturaconvencoesgyn.jpg|thumb|Culture and Convention Center, built where IGR was located.]]
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| The Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia (IGR), a private radiotherapy institute in Goiânia,<ref name=MTCDPub/> was just {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of Praça Cívica, the administrative center of the city. It moved to its new premises in 1985, leaving behind a caesium-137-based [[teletherapy]] unit that had been purchased in 1977. The fate of the abandoned site was disputed in court between IGR and the [[Society of Saint Vincent de Paul]], then owner of the premises.<ref name="God">{{pt icon}} Godinho, Iúri. [http://www.jornalopcao.com.br/index.asp "Os médicos e o acidente radioativo"]. ''Jornal Opção''. February 8, 2004.{{dead link|date=December 2013}}</ref> On September 11, 1986, the Court of Goiás stated it had knowledge of the abandoned radiological material in the building.<ref name="God"/>
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| 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 objects that were left behind.<ref name="God"/> Figueiredo then warned the president of Ipasgo, Lício Teixeira Borges, that he should take responsibility "for what would happen with the caesium bomb".<ref name="God"/>
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| The court posted a security guard to protect the hazardous abandoned equipment.<ref name="Web">{{pt icon}} Borges, Weber. [http://www.jornalopcao.com.br/index.asp "O jornalista que foi vítima do césio"]. ''Jornal Opção''. May 27, 2007.{{dead link|date=December 2013}}</ref> Meanwhile, the owners of IGR wrote several letters to the [[National Nuclear Energy Commission]], warning them about the danger of keeping a teletherapy unit at an abandoned site, but they could not remove the equipment by themselves once a court order prevented them from doing so.<ref name="God"/><ref name = "Web"/>
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| === Theft of the source ===
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| On September 13, 1987, the guard in charge of daytime security, Voudireinão da Silva, did not show up to work, using a sick day to attend a cinema screening of ''[[Herbie Goes Bananas]]'' with his family.<ref name="Web" /> That same day, "scavengers" Roberto dos Santos Alves and Wagner Mota Pereira illegally entered the partially demolished facility, found the teletherapy unit – which they thought might have some scrap value – and placed it in a wheelbarrow, taking it to Alves's home,<ref name="Mam">Mamchur, Fedoska. [http://www.safetyxchange.org/training-and-leadership/hazardous-materials-handling-part-3-of-3-chmp "This Date in History – September 13, 1987"]. SafetyXchange. September 13, 2007.</ref> about {{convert|0.6|km|1}} north of the clinic. There, they began dismantling the equipment. That same evening, they both began to vomit. Nevertheless, they continued in their efforts. The following day, Pereira began to experience diarrhea and dizziness and his left hand began to swell. He soon developed a burn on this hand in the same size and shape as the aperture - he eventually had partial [[amputation]] of several fingers.<ref name="Daily Planet">[http://carlalacerda.blogspot.co.uk/2010_07_01_archive.html Planeta Diário: July 2010<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On September 15, Pereira visited a local clinic where his symptoms were diagnosed as the result of something he had eaten, and he was told to return home and rest.<ref name="MTCDPub"/> Alves, however, continued with his efforts to dismantle the equipment, which was now sitting under a mango tree in his back yard. In the course of this effort, he eventually freed the caesium capsule from its protective rotating head. However, his prolonged exposure to the radioactive material led to his right forearm becoming ulcerated, requiring amputation. <ref name"Aint No Way to Go: All That Glitters">[http://www.aintnowaytogo.com/glitter.htm Aint No Way to Go: All That Glitters<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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| === The source is partially broken ===
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| 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.<ref name=MTCDPub /> He inserted the screwdriver and successfully scooped out some of the glowing substance. Thinking it was perhaps a type of [[gunpowder]], he tried to light it, but the powder would not ignite. The exact mechanism by which the light was generated was not known at the time the IAEA report was written, though it was thought to be either [[fluorescence]] or [[Cherenkov radiation]] associated with the absorption of moisture by the source; similar blue light was observed in 1988 at [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] during the disencapsulation of a <sup>137</sup>Cs source.
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| === The source is sold and dismantled ===
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| On September 18, Alves sold the items to a nearby [[Wrecking yard|scrapyard]]. A scrapyard employee came to the house, loaded the contents into a wheelbarrow, transported them to the yard, and unloaded them. That night, the owner of the scrapyard, Devair Alves Ferreira, who lived next door, went into the garage and noticed the blue glow from the punctured capsule. Thinking the capsule's contents were either valuable or even supernatural, he immediately brought it into his house. Over the next three days, he invited friends and family to view the strange glowing substance and offered a reward to anyone who could free it from the capsule. He mentioned that he intended to make a ring out of it for his wife. On September 21 at the scrapyard, a friend of Ferreira's (given as EF1 in the IAEA report) succeeded in freeing several rice-sized grains of the glowing material from the capsule using a screwdriver. He shared some of these with his brother, claimed some for himself, and the rest remained in the hands of Devair Alves Ferreira, who readily began to share it with various friends and family members. That same day, his wife, 37-year-old Gabriela Maria Ferreira, began to fall ill. On September 25, 1987, Devair Alves Ferreira sold the scrap metal to a second scrapyard.
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| === Ivo and his daughter ===
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| The day before the sale to the second scrapyard, however, 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. There he spread some of it on the cement floor. His six-year-old daughter, Leide das Neves Ferreira, later ate a sandwich while sitting on this floor. She was also fascinated by the blue glow of the powder, applying it to her body and showing it off to her mother. Dust from the powder fell on the sandwich she was consuming; she eventually absorbed 1.0 GBq, total dose 6.0 Gy, which is roughly equal to 13 Sv, more than a fatal dose even with treatment.<ref>{{cite news| url= | work=Time | title=Brazil Deadly Glitter | date=October 19, 1987}}</ref>
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| === Gabriela Maria Ferreira notifies authorities ===
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| Gabriela Maria Ferreira had been the first to notice that many people around her had become severely sick at the same time. Her actions from that point on probably saved lives.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-10-24/news/mn-4108_1_radiation-poisoning | work=Los Angeles Times | title=2 Die of Radiation Poisoning in Brazil | date=October 24, 1987}}</ref> She first suspected the culprit was a beverage they had shared, but an analysis of the juice showed nothing untoward. On September 28, 1987 — 15 days after the item was found — Gabriela went with one of her scrapyard employees to the rival scrapyard which was then in possession of the materials. She reclaimed them and transported them by bus in a plastic bag to a hospital. There, physician Paulo Roberto Monteiro rightly suspected that it was dangerous. He placed it in his garden on a chair to increase the distance between himself and the materials. Because the remains of the source were kept in a plastic bag, the level of contamination at the hospital was low.
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| === The source's radioactivity is detected ===
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| In the morning of September 29, 1987 a visiting medical physicist, Walter Mendes Ferreira,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcti.gov.br/index.php/content/view/342399/Pais_esta_preparado_para_atuar_em_acidente_radioativo.html|title=País está preparado para atuar em acidente radioativo|publisher=Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI)|date={{date|2012-09-13}}|accessdate={{date|2013-11-10}}|language=Portuguese|trans_title=Country is prepared to act in radioactive incident}} Note: person named only as "WF" in the IAEA report.</ref> used a [[scintillation counter]] borrowed from [[NUCLEBRAS]] (a national government agency which is involved in the [[nuclear fuel]] cycle, including searching for uranium ore) to confirm the presence of radioactivity. He spent most of the day confirming the dangerous levels of radiation and persuading the authorities to take immediate action. The city, state, and national governments were all aware of the incident by the end of the day, and the accident response started that evening.
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| == Health outcomes ==
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| About 130,000 people overwhelmed hospitals.<ref name="NYT" /> Of those, 250 people, some with radioactive residue still on their skin, were found, through the use of [[Geiger counters]], to be contaminated.<ref name="NYT" /> Eventually, 20 people showed signs of [[radiation sickness]] and required treatment.<ref name="NYT" />
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| Ages in years are given, with dosages listed in Gy, or [[Gray (unit)|gray]].
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| === Fatalities ===
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| * '''Leide das Neves Ferreira''', aged 6 (6.0 Gy, 600 REM), was the daughter of Ivo Ferreira. Initially, when an international team arrived to treat her, she was confined to an isolated room in the hospital because the hospital staff were afraid to go near her. She gradually developed swelling in the upper body, hair loss, kidney and lung damage, and internal bleeding. She died on October 23, 1987, of "[[septicemia]] and generalized infection" at the Marcilio Dias Navy Hospital, in Rio de Janeiro, due to the contamination.<ref name="NYT" /> She was buried in a common cemetery in Goiânia, in a special fiberglass coffin lined with lead to prevent the spread of radiation.<ref name="NYT" /> Despite these measures, there was still a riot in the cemetery where over 2,000 people, fearing that her corpse would poison the surrounding area, tried to prevent her burial by using stones and bricks to block the cemetery roadway.<ref>{{pt icon}} [http://www.greenpeace.org.br/nuclear/cesio/flash_cesio.html "Memorial Césio 137"]. [[Greenpeace|Greenpeace Brasil]].</ref>
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| * '''Gabriela Maria Ferreira''', aged 37 (5.7 Gy, 550 REM), wife of junkyard owner Devair Ferreira, became sick about three days after coming into contact with the substance. Her condition worsened, and she developed internal bleeding, especially in the limbs, eyes, and digestive tract, and suffered from hair loss. She died October 23, 1987, about a month after exposure.
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| * '''Israel Baptista dos Santos''', aged 22 (4.5 Gy, 450 REM), was an employee of Devair Ferreira who worked on the radioactive source primarily to extract the lead. He developed serious respiratory and lymphatic complications, was eventually admitted to hospital, and died six days later on October 27, 1987.
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| * '''Admilson Alves de Souza''', aged 18 (5.3 Gy, 500 REM), was also an employee of Devair Ferreira who worked on the radioactive source. He developed lung damage, internal bleeding, and heart damage, and died October 18, 1987.
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| Devair Ferreira himself survived despite receiving 7 Gy of radiation. He died in 1994 of [[cirrhosis]] aggravated by depression and binge drinking.<ref>{{cite news|last=Irene|first=Mirelle|title=Goiânia, 25 anos depois: 'perguntam até se brilhamos', diz vítima|url=http://noticias.terra.com.br/brasil/goiania-25-anos-depois-39perguntam-ate-se-brilhamos39-diz-vitima,bb12dc840f0da310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html|accessdate=5 December 2013|newspaper=Terra|date=13 September 2012}}</ref>
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| === Other individuals ===
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| {{unreferenced section|date=November 2013}}
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| The outcomes for the 46 most contaminated people are shown in the bar chart below. Several people survived high doses of radiation. This is thought in some cases to be because the [[Dose fractionation|dose was fractionated]]. Given time, the body's repair mechanisms will reverse cell damage caused by radiation. If the dose is spread over a long time period, these mechanisms can ameliorate the effects of radiation poisoning.
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| [[Image:brazilcesiumhuman.png|center|600px|This is a barchart showing the outcome for the 46 most contaminated people for whom a dose estimate has been made. The people are divided into seven groups according to dose.]]
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| === Other affected people ===
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| Afterwards, about 112,000 people were examined for radioactive contamination; 249 were found to have significant levels of radioactive material in or on their body.<ref name=MTCDPub /> Of this group, 129 people had internal contamination. The majority of the internally contaminated people only suffered small doses ({{nowrap|< 50 [[Sievert|mSv]]}}, less than a 1 in 400 risk of getting cancer as a result).
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| A thousand people were identified as having suffered a dose which was greater than one year of [[background radiation]]; it is thought that 97% of these people had a dose of between 10 and 200 mSv (between 1 in 2,000 and 1 in 100 risk of developing cancer as a result).
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| In 2007, the [[Oswaldo Cruz Foundation]] determined that the rate of caesium-137 related diseases are the same in Goiânia accident survivors as they are in the population at large. Nevertheless, compensation is still distributed to survivors, who suffer radiation-related prejudices in everyday life.<ref>UOL. [http://noticias.uol.com.br/saude/ultimas-noticias/redacao/2012/09/25/vitimas-do-cesio-137-voltam-a-receber-remedios-e-pedem-assistencia-medica-para-todos.htm Vítimas do césio 137 voltam a receber remédios e pedem assistência médica para todos]. September 25, 2012</ref>
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| == Legal matters ==
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| In light of the deaths caused, the three doctors who had owned and run IGR were charged with [[criminal negligence]]. Because the accidents occurred before the promulgation of the Federal Constitution of 1988 and because the substance was acquired by the clinic and not by the individual owners, the court could not declare the owners of IGR liable. One of the medical doctors owning IGR and the clinic's physicist were ordered to pay R$ 100,000 for the derelict condition of the building. The two scrap metal dealers were not included as defendants in the public civil suit.
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| The accident demonstrated the importance of keeping an inventory and monitoring of all strong radiation sources by public authorities, which is now legally required in many countries.{{cn|date=November 2013}} In 2000, CNEN, the National Nuclear Energy Commission, was ordered by the 8th Federal Court of Goiás to pay compensation of [[Brazilian real|R$]] 1.3 million and to guarantee medical and psychological treatment for the direct and indirect victims of the accident and their descendants down to the third generation.<ref>{{Cite document | format = [[PDF]] | url = http://www.oecd-nea.org/law/nlb/Nlb-66/023-032.pdf | title = Case Law and Administrative Decisions, Judgement of the Federal Court in the Public Civil Action concerning the Goiânia Accident | year = 2000 | publisher = OECD | postscript = <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}}}. ([http://www.webcitation.org/6Let9iyBp Archive])</ref>
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| == Cleanup ==
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| === Objects and places ===
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| [[Topsoil]] had to be removed from several sites, and several houses were demolished. All the objects from within those houses were removed and examined. Those that were found to be free of radioactivity were wrapped in plastic bags, while those that were contaminated were either decontaminated or disposed of as waste. In industry, the choice between decontaminating or disposing objects is based only on the [[Value (economics)|economic value]] of the object and the ease of [[decontamination]]. However, in this case, the IAEA recognized that to reduce the [[Psychological trauma|psychological impact]] of the event, greater effort should be taken to clean up items of personal value, such as [[jewelry]] and [[photograph]]s. It is not clear from the IAEA report to what degree this was practiced.
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| === Means and methods ===
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| After the houses were emptied, vacuum cleaners were used to remove dust, and plumbing was examined for radioactivity. Painted surfaces could be scraped, while floors were treated with acid and [[Prussian blue]] mixtures. Roofs were vacuumed and hosed, but two houses had to have their roofs removed. The waste from the clean up was moved out of the city to a remote place for storage.
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| [[Potassium alum]] dissolved in [[hydrochloric acid]] was used on clay, cement, soil, and roofs. Caesium has a high affinity for many clays.
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| Organic solvents, followed by potassium alum dissolved in hydrochloric acid, were used to treat waxed/greased floors and tables. [[Sodium hydroxide]] solutions, also followed by dissolved potassium alum, were used to treat synthetic floors, machines and typewriters.
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| [[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. Urine from victims was treated with [[ion exchange resin]] to compact the waste for ease of storage.
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| === Recovery considerations ===
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| 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]]. A sealed source need only be picked up, placed in a [[lead]] container, and transported to the [[radioactive waste]] storage. In the recovery of lost sources, the [[IAEA]] recommends careful planning and using a [[crane (machine)|crane]] or other device to place shielding (such as a pallet of [[brick]]s or a [[concrete]] block) near the source to protect recovery workers.
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| === Contamination locations ===
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| The Goiânia accident spread significant radioactive contamination throughout the Aeroporto, Central, and Ferroviários districts. Even after the cleanup, 7 TBq of radioactivity remained unaccounted for.
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| Some of the key contamination sites:
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| {{GeoGroupTemplate}}
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| * '''Goiânia’s Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia (IGR)''' ({{Coord|-16.6746|-49.2641 |format=dms |display= inline|type:event_region:BR|name= Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia}})<ref name="MTCDPub"/> suffered no actual exposure or breach of radioactive contents, but the site is noteworthy as the source of deadly, unsecured material. The IGR clinic no longer exists, having been replaced around 2000 with the modernized Centro de Convenções convention center.
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| * '''Roberto dos Santos' house''' ({{Coord|-16.66848|-49.26341 |format=dms |display=inline|type:event_region:BR|name=Roberto dos Santos' house}})<ref name="MTCDPub"/> on Rua 57. The radioactive source was here for about six days, and it was partially broken into.
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| * '''Devair Ferreira's scrapyard''' ({{Coord |-16.66713|-49.26652 |format= dms |display= inline|type:event_region:BR|name= Devair Ferreira's scrapyard}}),<ref name="MTCDPub"/> on Rua 15A ("Junkyard I") in the Aeroporto section of the city, had possession of the items for 7 days. The caesium container was entirely dismantled, spreading significant contamination. Extreme radiation levels of up to 1.5 Sv·h<sup>−1</sup> were found by investigators in the middle of the scrapyard.
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| * '''Ivo Ferreira's house''' ({{Coord|-16.66401|-49.26911 |format=dms |display= inline|type:event_region:BR|name= Ivo Ferreira's house/Junkyard II}})<ref name="MTCDPub"/> ("Junkyard II"), at 1F Rua 6. Some of the contamination was spread about the house, causing a fatality. The adjacent junkyard scavenged the remainder of parts from the IGR facility. The premises were heavily contaminated, with radiation dose rates up to 2 Sv·h<sup>−1</sup>.
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| * '''Junkyard III''' ({{Coord|-16.66915|-49.28003 |format= dms |type:event_region:BR|name= Junkyard III}}).<ref name="MTCDPub"/> This junkyard had possession of the items for 3 days until they were sent away.
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| * '''Vigilância Sanitária''' ({{Coord|-16.675|-49.273 |format=dms |type:event_region:BR|name=Vigilancia Sanitaria}}<!-- I was unable to determine exactly within the city block this clinic location is; maybe someone else knows-->).<ref name="MTCDPub"/> Here, the substance was quarantined, and an official cleanup response began.
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| == Legacy ==
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| ===Disposition of the capsule===
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| 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 Instrução Especializada'' ("School of Specialized Instruction") in Rio de Janeiro as a memento to those who participated in the cleanup of the contaminated area.
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| === Research ===
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| In 1991, a group of researchers collected blood samples from highly exposed survivors of the incident. Subsequent analysis resulted in the publication of numerous scientific articles.<ref>{{cite journal | pmid=8625952|year=1996|last1= Da Cruz|first1= AD|last2= Curry|first2= J|last3= Curado|first3= MP|last4= Glickman|first4= BW|title= Monitoring hprt mutant frequency over time in T-lymphocytes of people accidentally exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation |volume = 27|issue = 3|pages = 165–75| doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1996)27:3<165::AID-EM1>3.0.CO;2-E | journal = Environmental and molecular mutagenesis}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| pmid= 8908186| year= 1996| last1= Saddi| first1= V| last2= Curry| first2 = J|last3= Nohturfft|first3= A|last4= Kusser| first4 = W | last5 = Glickman|first5=BW|title=Increased hprt mutant frequencies in Brazilian children accidentally exposed to ionizing radiation| volume = 28| issue= 3| pages= 267–75|doi= 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1996)28:3<267::AID-EM11>3.0.CO;2-D | journal= Environmental and molecular mutagenesis}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | pmid = 9042402| year= 1997| last1= Da Cruz| first1 = AD | last2= Volpe| first2= JP|last3= Saddi|first3= V|last4= Curry|first4= J|last5= Curadoc|first5= MP|last6= Glickman|first6= BW |title= Radiation risk estimation in human populations: lessons from the radiological accident in Brazil | volume = 373| issue = 2| pages = 207–14| journal = Mutation research | doi = 10.1016/S0027-5107(96)00199-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | pmid = 9118962 | year = 1997 | last1 = Skandalis | first1 = A | last2 = Da Cruz | first2 = AD | last3 = Curry | first3 = J | last4 = Nohturfft | first4 = A | last5 = Curado | first5 = MP | last6 = Glickman | first6 = BW | title = Molecular analysis of T-lymphocyte HPRT– mutations in individuals exposed to ionizing radiation in Goiânia, Brazil|volume= 29| issue= 2| pages= 107–16| doi= 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1997)29:2<107::AID-EM1>3.0.CO;2-B |journal=Environmental and molecular mutagenesis}}</ref>
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| === Film ===
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| A 1990 film ''Césio 137 – O Pesadelo de Goiânia'' ("Caesium-137 – The Nightmare of Goiânia") – a dramatisation of the incident – was made by [[Roberto Pires]].<ref>{{IMDb title|0259956|Césio 137 - O Pesadelo de Goiânia}}</ref> It won several awards at the 1990 Brasilia Film Festival.<ref>[http://www.uraniumfilmfestival.org/index.php/en/programme/directors-statements/257-roberto-pires UraniumFilmFestival.org: Roberto Pires]</ref>
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| == See also ==
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| {{Portalbar|Brazil|1980s|Disasters}}
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| {{colbegin}}
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| * [[List of civilian radiation accidents]]
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| * [[Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents]]
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| * [[Three Mile Island accident]]
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| * [[Chernobyl disaster]]
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| * [[Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster]]
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| * [[Windscale fire]]
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| * [[Nuclear and radiation accidents]]
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| * [[Radioactive waste]]
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| * [[Mayapuri#Mayapuri_radiological_accident|Mayapuri radiological accident in Delhi]]
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| * [[Radiotherapy accident in Zaragoza]]
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| * [[Radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica]]
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| * [[Orphan source]]
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| {{colend}}
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| == References ==
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| {{Reflist|2}}
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| == External links ==
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| * [http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf Detailed Report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1988]
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| * [http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull472/pdfs/srs_toolkit.pdf Similar accidents over the world] (short overview)
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| * [http://arts.bev.net/roperldavid/GRI.htm The Goiânia Radiation Incident]
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| * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8653176.stm Radioactive waste sold as scrap in India]
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Goiania Accident}}
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| [[Category:Health disasters in Brazil]]
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| [[Category:Disasters in Brazil]]
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| [[Category:1987 industrial disasters]]
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| [[Category:1987 health disasters]]
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| [[Category:1987 in Brazil]]
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| [[Category:Radiation accidents and incidents]]
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| [[Category:Radioactive waste]]
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| [[Category:Waste disposal incidents]]
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| [[Category:Caesium]]
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| [[Category:Goiânia]]
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| [[Category:Radioactively contaminated areas]]
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| [[Category:1987 in the environment]]
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