3 ms·
> Radiation is not "spread" in the manner you are suggesting "[in] 1987 in Goiânia, Brazil [..] a forgotten radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned ho
by logifail 4y ago
> Radiation is not "spread" in the manner you are suggesting
"[in] 1987 in Goiânia, Brazil [..] a forgotten radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site in the city. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths. About 112,000 people were examined for radioactive contamination and 249 of them were found to have been contaminated"
"In the consequent cleanup operation, topsoil had to be removed from several sites, and several houses were demolished. All the objects from within those houses, including personal possessions, were seized and incinerated"[0]
That incident would appear to confirm that radiation (from a radioactive source) is able to be "spread".
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident
- WantonQuantum 4y agoIn the Wikipedia article it’s clear that the container of the caesium 137 was punctured and the grains of caesium powder were handled by many people and spread on surfaces. That’s just the original source of beta particles being spread around rather than the beta radiation “spreading” in some way.
- logifail 4y ago> That’s just the original source of beta particles being spread around rather than the beta radiation “spreading” in some way OK, fair point. We should use phrases like "spreading radioactivity" or "spreading radioactive contamination"? If the wording is corrected, the original point does still apply. You really wouldn't want a radioactive source stuck in your vehicle's tyre.