01 Overview
In September 1987, scavengers broke into an abandoned radiotherapy clinic in Goiรขnia, Brazil, and removed a caesium-137 teletherapy source. Unaware of its danger, they sold the device to a junkyard where the glowing blue caesium powder was passed around and handled by curious residents over several days.
02 Cause
An Instituto Goiano de Radioterapia clinic had been abandoned after a legal dispute, leaving a caesium-137 source unsecured. Scavengers dismantled the lead-and-steel capsule with a screwdriver. The caesium chloride powder, which glows a beautiful blue in the dark due to radioluminescence, attracted children and adults who handled it directly.
03 Impact
249 people were found to be contaminated. Four people died within weeks - including a six-year-old girl. 20 buildings were contaminated, and 85,000 people underwent monitoring. Contaminated soil, houses, and personal effects had to be sealed in 3,500 drums of radioactive waste.
04 Response
Brazilian authorities mobilised a large emergency response when a physicist identified the radiation source at a hospital. The Olympic stadium in Goiรขnia was used as temporary storage for radioactive waste. International experts from the IAEA assisted with the cleanup.
05 Legacy
The Goiรขnia accident is the most serious radiological accident not involving a nuclear reactor or weapon. It highlighted the danger of orphan radioactive sources and led to tighter international standards for managing and tracking radioactive materials.