 INES 3 |
Radiological accident in industrial gammagraphy with Ir-192 |
On February 20, 1999, a radioactive source of 1,35 TBq Ir-192 was found out of its container by a welding worker in a field where a construction of a new hydroelecticity plant is underway. The worker took the source with his hands and put it into his trouser in the back pocket. In this way the worker and 5 people around him, including four family members, were exposed.
The event was detected 6 hours later by the operator of gammagraphy equipment of the enterprise. The source was successfully recovered 8 hours after the source was found by the worker. As a result the worker has been locally injured severely because of the high dose received. The local dose has been estimated to be greater than 50 Gy. The worker was taken to a specialized hospital for assistance. The doses to the other exposed people have been less than 1 Gy.
The source is currently under control.
INES level 3 is appropriate due to consequences to people not involved in the gammagraphy operations.
Event date: Sat, 20-02-1999
