What happened in the Goiania accident?

What happened in the Goiania accident?

The Goiânia accident [ɡojˈjɐniɐ] was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, after a forgotten radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site in the city. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths.

Is Goiania safe?

Goiânia is considered a safe city compared to most state capitals within Brazil. The average murder rate per year is under 450 persons per year according to the Goiás State Police.

Where does cesium 137 come from?

Where does it come from? Cs-137 is produced by nuclear fission for use in medical devices and gauges. Cs-137 also is one of the byproducts of nuclear fission processes in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons testing.

What is an orphan source of radiation?

An orphan source is a radioactive source that poses sufficient radiological hazard to warrant regulatory control, but which is not under regulatory control because it has never been so, or because it has been abandoned, lost, misplaced, stolen or otherwise transferred without proper authorization.

What is the population of Goiania?

2,747,887
Goiania’s 2021 population is now estimated at 2,747,887. In 1950, the population of Goiania was 53,389.

Does cesium glow in the dark?

In the context of the Goiânia accident, CsCl is described as showing a blue glow in the dark.

Where in Brazil is Goiania?

Goiânia, city, capital of Goiás estado (state), south-central Brazil. It is situated in the Brazilian Highlands in the Meia Ponte River valley, some 110 miles (177 km) southwest of Brasília, the federal capital. The city lies at an elevation of 2,493 feet (760 metres) above sea level.

What is the capital of Brazil?

Brasilia
Brazil/Capitals

Is Caesium 137 natural?

Despite its prevalence in spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, cesium-137 is actually extremely rare. Its half-life is too short for it to persist from natural fission sources, and on earth it is a synthetic isotope only. Should further nuclear accidents be avoided, the dangers of cesium-137 will eventually cease.

What is the history of cesium-137?

Caesium-137 is produced from the nuclear fission of plutonium and uranium, and decays into barium-137. Before the construction of the first artificial nuclear reactor in late 1942 (the Chicago Pile-1), caesium-137 had not occurred on Earth in significant amounts for about 1.7 billion years.

How many orphan sources are there?

How Many Orphan Sources Are There? The number of devices in the U.S. containing radioactive sources is estimated to be approximately 2,000,000 (Meserve 2000). As many as 500,000 of these are unused and no longer needed or wanted (Lubenau & Yusko 2000).

What is orphan waste?

Orphan waste refers to materials that have been disposed inappropriate ways. of illegally, including materials that have been dumped accidentally or intentionally, and on private or public lands, Financial responsibility for orphan waste includes clean roads and waterways.