RE: Turkish cobalt-60 accident

["Henry Royal" <royal@mirlink.wustl.edu>]

I received a phone call to set up an interview with a Turkish TV station re: the recent Turkish cobalt-60 accident.  Since not much has been published about the accident, I am writing to RADSAFE to see if anyone has more details.

In particular I am interested in the following info.

1.  I have not been able to determine if the cobalt source was an industrial radiography source or a teletherapy source.

2.  Anyone know about the physical and chemical characteristics of the source.  Sounds like the cobalt may have been in the form of metal bars, yet there seems to be some concern about internal contamination.

3.  Seems likely that the "quarantining" of the patients is most likely reverse isolation due to their immunosuppression rather than concern for internal contamination.

Feel free to contact me by phone or private email if appropriate.

Henry D. Royal, M.D.    royal@mirlink.wustl.edu
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Washington University School of Medicine
(314)  362-2809
<royal@mirlink.wustl.edu>

HDR > From: StevenFrey@aol.com Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 05:26:45 EST Subject:
HDR > Radiological Accident in Turkey
HDR >   The Associated Press reported this story early Saturday morning
HDR > 01/09/99:
HDR > 
HDR > ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Two Turkish scrap dealers who were exposed to a
HDR > suspected radioactive substance on the outskirts of Istanbul were
HDR > hospitalized Friday in serious condition, officials said. 
HDR > 
HDR > The two brothers may have been exposed to radiation after trying to
HDR > break up a 2-ton block of iron and lead they had bought weeks before,
HDR > police said.  The person who sold the block has been arrested. 
HDR > 
HDR > Police sealed off the area where the block was found and local residents
HDR > were taken to the hospital for blood tests.  Seven people were taken to
HDR > the hospital and later released, Anatolia reported. 
HDR > 
HDR > Blood samples of the brothers, Nacki and Ilyas Ilgar, were being
HDR > analyzed after elements of cobalt and lead were found on their bodies,
HDR > Ahmet Sandikci of the Ikitelli Hospital told The Associated Press. 
HDR > 
HDR > ``We found radioactive substances on them.  Both men are now in
HDR > quarantine,'' Sandikci said. 
HDR > 
HDR > The Anatolia news agency quoted a hospital doctor as saying one of the
HDR > men had severe burns on his hands.  ``Their health condition is very
HDR > serious and very dangerous,'' Dr. Caglar Canbolat was quoted as saying. 
HDR > 
HDR > Canbolat said he had contacted Turkey's Atomic agency.
HDR > 
HDR > Steve Frey, MS, CHP Head, Operational Health Physics Department Stanford
HDR > Linear Accelerator Center


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