[ RadSafe ] Prison Term For Illegal Shipment

[Steven Dapra]

Aug. 14

         Thank you for your very informative reply.

Steven Dapra


At 11:45 AM 8/15/06 +1000, you wrote:
>Steven Dapra Q:  "Is Ir-192 actually dangerous...?"
>
>A:  Yes.  The industrial radiography texts are replete with accidents 
>involving such sources, resulting in lost digits, limbs and body 
>functions.  Additionally, there is the Pennsylvania medical case where a 
>therapeutic patient died after having had the
>source left in her.  Medical sources of Ir-192 are typcially 10% of the 
>activity of their industrial counterparts.
>
>In the RPT text Basic Radiation Protection Technology (Golnick), there is 
>a tragic example in Argentina of a man who put one of these sources in his 
>back pocket.  He lost both legs, and the lower portion of his trunk is 
>horribly disfigured.  In this
>instance, I don't think the term "He's lucky to be alive" is apropos.
>
>BTW, I note that the source is "depleted".  However, Ir-192 that is 
>depleted beyond industrial usefulness is still quite dangerous.
>
>And finally, if we're going to have laws, we may as well enforce them, 
>otherwise they're useless.
>
>-Brent Rogers

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