Security of radioactive sources: lessons learned from the Goiania accident

Abstract

Radioactive sources, widely applicable to both medical and industrial settings, have many risks to security as they are often available to the general public and employees, who might or might not have been subjected to correct security assessments and training. Healthcare establishments, which source radioactive material, need to place as much emphasis on their staff and patients’ security and the security of radioactive sources themselves. Insufficient regulation, unaccountable oversight, and inadequate professional training can do serious damage, from inadvertent exposure and contamination to the potential malicious use of radioactive material. Nowhere was this more painfully demonstrated than in the 1987 Goiania accident, when an abandoned cesium-137 teletherapy unit left without supervision and without notifying the competent regulatory authority, fell into the hands of people who were completely unaware of its dangerous condition. Using relevant scientific literature, this review paper intends to emphasize the need to provide proper management of radioactive sources (including proper licensing, regulation, oversight, and control) as well as identify potential risks, which should be coupled with enhanced safety measures in both medical and industrial settings.