THE RADIOLOGICAL ACCIDENT IN LIA, GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–103614–8 @ THE RADIOLOGICAL ACCIDENT IN LIA, GEORGIA The following States are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency: AFGHANISTAN GHANA OMAN ALBANIA GREECE PAKISTAN ALGERIA GUATEMALA PALAU ANGOLA HAITI PANAMA ARGENTINA HOLY SEE PAPUA NEW GUINEA ARMENIA HONDURAS PARAGUAY AUSTRALIA HUNGARY PERU AUSTRIA ICELAND PHILIPPINES AZERBAIJAN INDIA POLAND BAHAMAS INDONESIA PORTUGAL BAHRAIN IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF QATAR BANGLADESH IRAQ REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA BELARUS IRELAND ROMANIA BELGIUM ISRAEL RUSSIAN FEDERATION BELIZE ITALY RWANDA BENIN JAMAICA SAN MARINO BOLIVIA JAPAN SAUDI ARABIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA JORDAN SENEGAL BOTSWANA KAZAKHSTAN SERBIA BRAZIL KENYA SEYCHELLES BRUNEI DARUSSALAM KOREA, REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE BULGARIA KUWAIT SINGAPORE BURKINA FASO KYRGYZSTAN SLOVAKIA BURUNDI LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC SLOVENIA CAMBODIA REPUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA CAMEROON LATVIA SPAIN CANADA LEBANON SRI LANKA CENTRAL AFRICAN LESOTHO SUDAN REPUBLIC LIBERIA SWAZILAND CHAD LIBYA SWEDEN CHILE LIECHTENSTEIN SWITZERLAND CHINA LITHUANIA SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC COLOMBIA LUXEMBOURG TAJIKISTAN CONGO MADAGASCAR THAILAND COSTA RICA MALAWI THE FORMER YUGOSLAV CÔTE D’IVOIRE MALAYSIA REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA CROATIA MALI TOGO CUBA MALTA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CYPRUS MARSHALL ISLANDS TUNISIA CZECH REPUBLIC MAURITANIA, ISLAMIC TURKEY DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC REPUBLIC OF UGANDA OF THE CONGO MAURITIUS UKRAINE DENMARK MEXICO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DOMINICA MONACO UNITED KINGDOM OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MONGOLIA GREAT BRITAIN AND ECUADOR MONTENEGRO NORTHERN IRELAND EGYPT MOROCCO UNITED REPUBLIC EL SALVADOR MOZAMBIQUE OF TANZANIA ERITREA MYANMAR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ESTONIA NAMIBIA URUGUAY ETHIOPIA NEPAL UZBEKISTAN FIJI NETHERLANDS VENEZUELA, BOLIVARIAN FINLAND NEW ZEALAND REPUBLIC OF FRANCE NICARAGUA VIET NAM GABON NIGER YEMEN GEORGIA NIGERIA ZAMBIA GERMANY NORWAY ZIMBABWE The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. THE RADIOLOGICAL ACCIDENT IN LIA, GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2014 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 2600 29302 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] http://www.iaea.org/books © IAEA, 2014 Printed by the IAEA in Austria December 2014 STI/PUB/1660 IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data The radiological accident in Lia, Georgia. — Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2014. p. ; 24 cm. STI/PUB/1660 ISBN 978–92–0–103614–8 Includes bibliographical references. 1. Radiation injuries — Georgia (Republic). 2. Radioactive sources. 3. Radionuclide generators. I. International Atomic Energy Agency. II. Series. IAEAL 14–00916 COPYRIGHT NOTICE FOREWORD All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of The use of radioactive material offers a wide range of benefits to medicine, the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised research and industry throughout the world. Precautions are necessary, however, in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual to limit the exposure of people to the radiation emitted. Where the amount of Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual radioactive material is substantial, as in the case of radiotherapy or industrial property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications radiography sources, great care is required to prevent accidents which could have in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty severe consequences. Nevertheless, in spite of the precautions taken, serious agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are accidents involving radiation sources continue to occur, albeit infrequently. welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed The IAEA conducts follow-up reviews of such serious accidents to provide an to the IAEA Publishing Section at: account of their circumstances and consequences, from which organizations with responsibilities for radiation protection, safety of sources and emergency Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section preparedness and response may learn. International Atomic Energy Agency A serious radiological accident occurred in Georgia on 2 December 2001, Vienna International Centre when three inhabitants of the village of Lia found two metal objects in the forest PO Box 100 while collecting firewood. These objects were 90Sr sources with an activity of 1400 Vienna, Austria 1295 TBq. The three inhabitants used the objects as heaters when spending fax: +43 1 2600 29302 the night in the forest. The major cause of the accident was the improper and tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 unauthorized abandonment of radiation sources in Georgia and the absence of email: [email protected] clear labels or radiation signs on the sources warning of the potential radiation http://www.iaea.org/books hazard. Under the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (Assistance Convention), the Georgian authorities requested assistance from the IAEA to advise on the dose assessment, source recovery and medical management of those involved in the accident. For their support provided under the Assistance Convention, the IAEA wishes to express its thanks to France and its Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, the Burn Treatment Centre of the Percy Military Training Hospital, in Paris, and the Russian Federation and its Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center The IAEA is grateful to the Government of Georgia for the opportunity to report on this accident to disseminate the valuable lessons learned. In particular, the IAEA wishes to express its gratitude to the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Service of the Ministry of Environment Protection of Georgia, for their assistance in preparing this publication. The IAEA officer responsible for the preparation of this publication was P. Zombori of the Incident and Emergency Centre, Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. EDITORIAL NOTE This publication is based on information made available to the IAEA by, or through, the authorities of Georgia. Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use. The report does not address questions of responsibility, legal or otherwise, for acts or omissions on the part of any person. The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The depiction and use of boundaries, geographical names and related data shown on maps do not necessarily imply official endorsement or acceptance by the IAEA. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights. Material made available to persons who are in contractual relation with governments is copyrighted by the IAEA, as publisher, only to the extent permitted by appropriate national regulations. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1 1.1. Background ......................................... 1 1.2. Objective ........................................... 2 1.3. Scope ............................................. 2 1.4. Structure ........................................... 2 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................... 3 2.1. Location of the accident ............................... 3 2.2. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators ................... 3 2.3. Chronology of the accident. 6 3. IAEA MISSIONS ........................................ 10 3.1. Mission objectives ................................... 10 3.2. Mission results ...................................... 10 3.2.1. Results of the first IAEA mission .................. 10 3.2.2. Results of the second IAEA mission ............... 12 4.