The subjects about radiation and radioactivity have always aroused a lot of interest from people in general. Whenever there is news about the subject, people are immediately interested, mainly because of the great tension caused by the subject.
Fear about a particular subject is often related to lack of knowledge about it, and radiation and radioactivity is no different. With the radiological accident that occurred in the city of Goiânia (in the State of Goiás) on September 13, 1987, it was exactly like that.
A white salt containing Cesium 137 atoms was stored in a lead capsule inside a radiotherapy equipment. This equipment with the capsule was found by two young men who sold it to the owner of a junkyard. However, before selling it, the boys had already broken the capsule to see the composition of its interior. This allowed access to the salt of Cesium 137.
The owner of the junkyard noticed that the salt, when in the dark, emanated a blue light that caught the attention of many people and caused many to come into contact with the material. This was how the radioactive material spread to some regions of the city until the problem was detected and they began to act to solve it.
The population and authorities in general did not have the knowledge to recognize or act in the face of a serious situation like the one that occurred. People who were contaminated sought hospitals and health posts to remedy the health problems that began to appear, causing the contamination of an even larger area.
The accident with Cesio generated consequences and problems, some of which remained for several and several years. That went:
The death of four people immediately.
Death of 59 people years later, after the contamination period.
Many people have had health problems (malignant tumors) as a result of exposure to radiation.
Contamination of more than six hundred people.
Demolition of some families' homes.
Construction of a specific area to house the radioactive waste produced.
Constant monitoring of the area where radioactive material is housed.
The truth is that several measures were taken after the problem was discovered, and the extent of the contamination was already large. The measures taken were:
Isolation of people who had direct contact with the radioactive material.
Decontamination of all people who came into direct or indirect contact.
Demolition of buildings that housed the material.
Storage in steel and lead drums of all materials, objects, debris, belongings that were in homes where Cesium salt was present.
Burial of victims in lead coffins to avoid soil contamination.
Drums for storing radioactive waste
The accident was circumvented, but its effects will still be felt for a few years, especially by people who were directly or indirectly contaminated. It is noteworthy that the risk of further contamination still exists because Cesium 137 has a very long half-life (a period in which the radioactive material loses half of its radiation). The accident was in 1987 and for 600 years this risk will be experienced by the residents of the Abadia de Goiás region, where the drums with radioactive waste are located.
By Me. Diogo Lopes Dias
