Radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica
Encyclopedia
The radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica occurred with the Alcyon II radiotherapy unit at San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José, Costa Rica
. It was related to a Cobalt-60
source that was being used for radiotherapy in 1996. In the course of the accident 114 patients received an overdose of radiation and 13 died of radiation-related injuries.
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
. It was related to a Cobalt-60
Cobalt-60
Cobalt-60, , is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt. Due to its half-life of 5.27 years, is not found in nature. It is produced artificially by neutron activation of . decays by beta decay to the stable isotope nickel-60...
source that was being used for radiotherapy in 1996. In the course of the accident 114 patients received an overdose of radiation and 13 died of radiation-related injuries.
See also
- Goiânia accidentGoiânia accidentThe Goiânia accident was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, at Goiânia, in the Brazilian State of Goiás after an old radiotherapy source was taken from an abandoned hospital site in the city...
- List of civilian radiation accidents
- Radiotherapy accident in ZaragozaRadiotherapy accident in ZaragozaThe radioactive accident at the Clinic of Zaragoza was a radiological accident that occurred from December 10-20, 1990, at the Clinic of Zaragoza, in Spain....