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Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok replaced their radiotherapy unit, but could not return the old one. It was sold to the Kamol Sukosol Electric Company, but neither informed the OAEP of the transfer. -
In 1996 the OAEP inspected the KSE and found they had three unlicensed teletherapy units in a warehouse when they were only licensed for one unit. The KSE's warehouse lease was terminated in 1999, they returned the licensed unit and moved the unlicensed ones to an unused car park. KSE told the OAEP of the licensed unit's move but did not mention the other three.
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The radiation source of a radiation therapy unit is acquired by two scrap collectors. They claimed to have bought it from strangers as scrap metal to resale it. The two men bring the source home to dismantle it later. -
The two men, along with two associates, begin to dismantle the metal part of the source. They used a hammer and chisel to crack the seam but couldn't go further. So they took it to a scrapyard and had the piece cut open with a blowtorch. The two smaller cylinders that fell out contain the source capsule itself, and was kept by the scrapyard employee. The men begin to feel ill that same day. -
The scrap collectors are able to take apart the lead cylinder and sell the parts to the scrapyard. The scrapyard employees begin to feel sick over the next week. On February 12th, the yard owner asks the collectors to take their metal away and she had the smaller metal pieces trashed. -
Those who fell sick had symptoms of: burns, swollen hands, diarrhea, fever, and hair loss. One scrap collector and two scrapyard employees are admitted to the hospital by the 17th. Meanwhile, the scrapyard's husband was admitted for nosebleeds, and the owner, her mother, and her maid began to feel ill. A stray dog that was often seen in the yard died.
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Doctors realize the problem and report it to the OAEP, who sent two officers to investigate the same day they are notified. They start with questioning the doctors and patients and then move onto the scrapyard. The officers find that the scrapyard had high levels of radiation, high enough to be unable to pinpoint the source -
The group plans and rehearses a way to get the source. An excavator is used to clear a way, and they used a lead wall to protect from radiation. They removed scrap metal from near the source and screened them for radioactivity. Then a fluorescent screen was used to pinpoint the exact location. The source capsule was secured a little after midnight and identified as Cobalt-60 and estimated at 15.7 terabecquerels. -
10 people were admitted to the hospital for radiation sickness, four of them were estimated to get over 6 gray in dose. All but one patient developed low white blood cells, several patients had burns and one man had a finger amputated. Three men died from infection and sepsis.
1,872 people within 100 meters of the scrapyard had potential exposure and exams were done on almost half of them. -
The origin of the radiation source was traced to Kamol Sukosol Electric Company and the company was charged with possession of radioactive substances without permission and fined approx. US $450. The Environmental Litigation and Advocacy for the Wants advocacy group filed a class action lawsuit against the Electric Company and won. -
This incident, along with other similar ones, causes the International Atomic Energy Agency to evaluate the effectiveness of the classic radioactive hazard trefoil symbol as a warning. The symbol was displayed on the teletherapy head but none of the people involved knew what it meant, there were also no written warnings in Thai. The International Atomic Energy Agency worked with the International Organization for Standardization to create a new symbol to accompany the old one.
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