Tuesday, August 08, 2023

What are some of the worst industrial disasters that have occurred in the world?

The worst Nuclear disaster you have never heard of. In 1985 the Goiania institute of radiotherapy in Brazil, moved locations. They left behind a Cesium-137 cancer therapy machine. Two years later on September 13th, 1987, two men break into the building and steal the machine, as the guard that was hired to protect the building never showed up for work.

The men wheeled it home and began to dismantle it, with both men falling sick that night. Despite this they continued to dismantle the machine and by the 16th of September, they were able to puncture a hole in a capsule inside the machine.

Inside the capsule was a bright blue powder that they scooped up. They shared it with friends and relatives, even painting blue crosses on their shirts and some even used it as make-up, completely unaware of what they had.

The handling of the blue power was enough for the two thieves to require fingers and an arm to be amputated. But before it had gotten to that point the men decided to sell it to a local scrapyard. The machine was further dismantled by the owner, Devair Ferreira. When he was finally able to release the blue powder himself, he was fascinated by the it. Believing it to be highly valuable, even possibly supernatural, he invited family members over to see it, even passing it around.

From there it was then sold to another scrapyard. Devair’s brother, Odesson, even took a chunk of the material home with him. He was a local bus driver and unknowingly contaminated dozens of passengers. He’s also one of the most contaminated surviving victims of the disaster and he says he can still feel the burning in his hands.

His six-year-old daughter even played with the blue powder on the floor before having dinner, where some of the radio active material had fallen on her sandwich and she consumed it. Tragically, within just one month she passed away and was buried in a lead coffin, encased in concrete.

Nobody knew that the material was highly radioactive. As time passed, everyone who had came in contact with the machine or the powder began falling seriously ill. It wasn’t until a concerned relative had a feeling the machine had something to do with it and took some of the blue powder to the hospital to be tested. Doctors were quick to determine that they were suffering from acute radiation poisoning.

They resulted in over 100,000 people being isolated in the Olympic stadium for screening. 250 people were found to be contaminated. 28 skin related injuries from radiation and two men, one woman and one child died.

Over 40 homes and buildings had to be demolished. The remaining chunk of Cesium, as well as over 6000 tons of contaminated clothing, furniture, pieces of buildings and even dirt were packed into steel drums and containers and dumped in an abandon quarry.

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