[ RadSafe ] Illinois Hospital Loses Radioactive Material

[Emilio Martinez]

Any radiation source not properly taken care of is bound to result in health 
hazards.
Do you remember of Goiania?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident


Emilio M.
Math student





________________________________
De: "Garner, William H" <whgarn2 at email.uky.edu>
Para: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Enviado: viernes, 23 de julio, 2010 5:19:13
Asunto: [ RadSafe ] Illinois Hospital Loses Radioactive Material

Illinois Hospital Loses Radioactive Material
Thursday, July 22, 2010

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Authorities are probing how a safe that held radioactive material vanished from 
a storage space at an Illinois hospital, the Chicago Tribune reported yesterday 
(see GSN<http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100706_8459.php>, July 6).

The lead-lined safe at the Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee was not located 
when construction workers finished a demolition job at the medical center on 
July 13, said Illinois Emergency Management Agency official Gibb Vinson. 
Authorities believe work teams could have unintentionally included the safe in 
refuse bound for a local landfill.

Vinson said thieves are not thought to have taken the secured container, though 
the incident remains under investigation.

In a report submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,, the agency 
said the safe held a limited number of tiny radioactive "seeds" that were 
employed to eradicate cancer cells.

So long as the seeds are kept in the safe they do not endanger public safety, 
Vinson said. Direct exposure to the material, though, could cause "significant" 
health repercussions, he said.

"As long as they remain in the safe, it's a relatively safe situation," Vinson 
said.

Authorities have informed local landfill managers of the situation and asked 
them to use radiation detectors to search for the safe (Joel Hood, Chicago 
Tribune<http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-07-21/health/ct-met-0722-hospital-radioactive-mate20100721_1_radioactive-material-safe-handling-of-hazardous-materials>,
 July 21).



William H. Garner
University Of Kentucky
Radiation Safety Department
110 Dimock Animal Pathology
Lexington, KY  40506-0076
Office Phone (859)323-1009
UK Pager (859)330-6781
Fax   (859)323-4752
ü Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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