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Atomic agency to pay up in cobalt-60 case
The Office of Atomic Energy for Peace will not
appeal against an Administrative Court order in the cobalt-60 radiation
case.
The court last month told the office to pay 5.2
million baht in damages to 12 victims of a radiation leak more than two years
ago. The court said the OAEP was liable to pay after it neglected to enforce
safety regulations regarding the storage of radioactive materials.
Science Minister Pinit Charusombat, who oversees
the OAEP, said he had spoken to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who wanted
OAEP to comply with the court's ruling. The victims, he said, were poor and
innocent.
The OAEP earlier planned to appeal, saying Kamol
Sukosol Electric Co had failed to store the cobalt-60 under its guidelines, so
it had no control over the stolen items. The firm left the cylinders in its
parking lot and they were opened by garbage scavengers in Feb 2000. The victims
were exposed to radiation and suffered mentally and physically.
Note
1 US$ ~ 42 baht
Two Reports (as informed) to be
published by the IAEA this year:
The Radiological Accident in Gilan, Iran (2002)
The Radiological Accident in Samut Prakarn, Thailand (2002)
To remember:
In January 2000 four junk
dealers dismantled two Co-60 teletherapy units what they found in a parking
space. They took one of the sources to a junkyard. It remained there for over
three weeks, and exposed to high doses 10 persons. When the accident was
recognized, the authorities requested help from the IAEA. Through WHO/ REMPAN, a
team of Japanese medical experts went to Thailand on February 26 to consult the
patients. The accident resulted in 3 deaths (18, 18 and 44 years old,
respectively) and 5 victims with local radiation injuries. The health
authorities performed a general screening of 126 individuals who might have been
affected, no radiation damage was detected. The IAEA will publish a report on
this accident in 2002
Jose Julio Rozental
Israel