Reference
Sevan’kaev, A. V., Lloyd, D. C., Edwards,
A. A., Moquet, J. E., Nugis, V. Yu., Mikhailova, G. M., Potetnya, O. J.,
Khvostunov, I. K., Guscova, A. K., Baranov, A. E. and Nadejina, N. M. (2002):
Cytogenetic investigations of serious overexposures to an industrial gamma
radiography souce. Radiat. Protect. Dosimet., 102:201-206.
Accident scenario
The accident occurred on 15 August
2000 in Samara district of Russia (day 1). Three subjects, S1, S2 and S3,
employees of the gas pipeline service and repair company (S1 and S2 were
industrial radiographers, S3 was their lorry driver) were seriously overexposed
to gamma-rays from a 9 TBq iridium-192 source that had detached from its
wind-out cable so that it had not retracted into its shielded container.
It is uncertain whether the source was in a wooden box (B) or in a steel
box (A). They were unaware of this, moved about around inside and outside
of the lorry for next 5-6 h, and slept for 4 h on bunks inside the lorry.
They suffered nausea and vomiting in the morning. The lorry was parked
and not used for several days except for two 3 h drive to their base and
back until they discover that the source was loose in the guide tube (day
9). On day 30 they were all diagnosed to exhibit acute radiation sickness.
| Physical dose and early clinical findings | |||||||||||||
| Age | Calculated dose (Gy) | Haemoglobin | Erythrocytes | Reticulocytes | Thrombocytes | Leukocytes | Neutrophyls | Lymphocytes | Monocytes | Erythrocyte sedimentation rate | |||
| (yrs) | Head | Torso | Legs | (g/l) | (×1012/l) | (%) | (×109/l) | (×109/l) | (×109/l) | (%) | (%) | (mm/h) | |
| S1 | 33 | 2.33 | 4.10 | 44.89 | 135 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 126 | 2.2 | 0.43 | 59 | 10 | 18 |
| S2 | 65 | 2.88 | 1.84 | 2.21 | 143 | 4.7 | 1.0 | 117 | 3.4 | 0.75 | 39 | 7 | 30 |
| S3 | 26 | 3.84 | 3.03 | 2.29 | 110 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 39 | 0.25 | 0.02 | too few | too few | 50 |
