[ RadSafe ] Fatalities due to Internal Radioactive Material

[Fritz A. Seiler]

Hi All,

It was quite a while ago, when I was still in Switzerland, that there
were two fatalities due to tritium exposure in the eastern part of
Switzerland.  If I remember correctly, the book on tritium that someone
mentionned [Tritium, A.A. Moghissi and M.W. Carter (Eds.); Messenger
Graphics, Las Vegas NV, 1973] does not contain a relevant treatment of
the case.
  
At present, I can retrieve from an old memory the following:
-	The two were owner and employee of a small firm that made
luminous paint for wrist watch dials,
-	During a checkup, the employee was found to have a large body
burden of T and was told not to work with T any more,
-	The owner ignored the injunction of the authorities, and told
his employee to continue working as before,
-	For some reason or other he participated in the paint production
himself, and
-	In the end they both accumulated huge body burdens and finally
died from radiation syndrome.

I think some Swiss or German participants on the mailing list could
easily retrieve the facts of this case, but I seem to remember that the
dose calculation was so difficult as to make any conclusions
meaningless. 

Best regards

Fritz

*****************************************************
Fritz A. Seiler, Ph.D.
Sigma Five Consulting:          Private:
P.O. Box 1709                   P.O. Box 437
Los Lunas, NM 87031             Tomé, NM 87060
Tel.:      505-866-5193         Tel. 505-866-6976
Fax:       505-866-5197         USA
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"This is the hour when democracy must justify
itself by capacity  for effective decision, or risk
destruction or disintegration. Europe is dotted
with the ruins of right decisions taken too late."

"America's Responsibility in the Current Crisis"
Manifesto of the Christian Realists. May, 1940.
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-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Johnston, Thomas
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 1:40 PM
To: John R Johnson; Elsa nimmo; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Fatalities due to Internal Radioactive Material


Does anyone recall any additional information regarding the "tritium
intake that resulted in death." ??? Or a more specific reference?

Thomas P. Johnston
Radiation Safety Officer
New York Medical College
Valhalla, NY 10595
914-594-4448 office
914-594-3665 fax
914-557-5950 mobile
tom_johnston at nymc.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of John R Johnson
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 3:26 PM
To: Elsa nimmo; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Fatalities due to Internal Radioactive Material

Elsa

There is a case of a tritium intake that resulted in death. I don't have
the reference, but its in a book called tritium and I think it happened
in Switzerland.

John
 _________________
John R Johnson, Ph.D.
*****
President, IDIAS, Inc
4535 West 9-Th Ave
Vancouver B. C.
V6R 2E2
(604) 222-9840
idias at interchange.ubc.ca
*****

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl]On
Behalf Of Elsa nimmo
Sent: November 27, 2006 11:57 AM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Fatalities due to Internal Radioactive Material


Hi Jim,

Thanks for the response!  My question was really one of curiosity.  We
all know about cases of chronic doses due to ingested material (dial
painters), but I couldn't think of fatalities due to acute dose of
radiation from unsealed internal emitters (in absence of large dose from
an external source).

But yes, there was that terrible case with the teletherapy source in
Goiania, Brazil.

Elsa



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