It was a radioactive disaster that happened in Goiânia, in 1987. It occurred after two garbage collectors came into contact with a portion of cesium chloride, cesium-137. The chemical component was inside a cancer treatment device, which was in an abandoned clinic in the capital of Goiás. It took only 16 days for the “glow of death”, as the substance became popularly known, to kill four people and contaminate hundreds.
“The accident affected so many people because it happened in an urban area”, explains Alfredo Tranjam, president of Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB). Considered one of the biggest radiological disasters in history, it is considered a world reference by the International Atomic Energy Agency when thinking about intervention for future accidents.
GLOW DEATH
In just two weeks, the 19g serving wreaked havoc
1) Cancer treatment
The story begins in 1985, when a cancer treatment institute shuts down its unit in Goiânia. Almost all the equipment was taken, but one teletherapy machine (a kind of radiotherapy) is left behind. The device used powdered cesium chloride as a power source.
2) Radioactive waste
In September 1987, the device drew the attention of two garbage collectors. Thinking of selling the parts, they take it home, disassemble it and contact a cesium-137 capsule. In two days, the collectors feel the first symptoms of radioactive poisoning: nausea, vomiting, dizziness and diarrhea.
3) Attractive shine
The owner of a junkyard buys the machine and sends two of his employees to remove the most valuable parts. Inside the device, they find the capsule with 19 g of cesium. At night, your teal glow draws attention. Thinking it to be something of great value, the junkyard owner takes it home.
4) “Contamination”
Proud to have something that seemed very valuable in his hands, the owner of the junkyard receives visits from many people. Like the two garbage collectors, everyone who comes near the substance has the same symptoms of being unwell, but no one suspects the cause.
5) First victim
The junkyard owner’s brother visits him and takes some of the substance home. During dinner, he shows it to his children and contaminates the food on the table. Without realizing it, her 7-year-old daughter eats bread with some of the powder. A month later, Leide das Neves Ferreira dies. It is the first victim of cesium-137
6) Second victim
Two weeks later, the junkyard owner’s wife notices that everyone exposed to the glittering dust gets sick. Intrigued, she takes the capsule to the Health Surveillance, which immediately identifies the radioactive substance. The woman who helped unravel the mystery is the second fatal victim
7) Decontamination
On September 30, technicians from the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and military police began to decontamination of the region. More than 112,800 people are monitored (129 were seriously contaminated) and 6,000 tons of contaminated material go to a special deposit. Officially, four people died from radiation exposure. But, according to the Cesium-137 Victims Association, the number of victims is much higher and reaches 80
RADIOACTIVE INHERITANCE
Years after the accident, the treatment of infected people continues. 30 years after the accident, 975 people are monitored by the Leide das Neves Superintendence (SuLeide), an institution that provides assistance to victims. To direct treatment, people are divided into groups, according to the intensity of contamination. Group I, with 87 people, is the one that inspires the most care: it is made up of those who had direct contact with the compound (and were seriously contaminated) and their children.
Share this article via:
SOURCES Alfredo Tranjam, president of the Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB), and Leide das Neves Superintendence (SuLeide).