An accidental exposure by a medical linear accelerator under construction.
A radiation accident occurred at a medical linear accelerator facility under construction in Japan. The radiation source was a 3- and 6-MV potential drop accelerator designed to produce X-rays for radiation therapy. This accelerator was also capable of producing a 5 to14-MV swept electron beam. During setting up, an operator turned on the accelerator to test the beam not knowing that a man was working on the ceiling above the accelerator. Thus, an X-ray beam was emitted against the ceiling and the man was exposed to 10-MV of X-ray irradiation. However, no obvious physical symptoms were noted. Dose estimation was made from reconstruction of the accident and clinical examinations including chromosome analysis. Mean dose of the whole body ranged from 70 to 180 mSv. Estimated dose from his right foot to hand was between180 to 900 mSv.
Kawamura
Saori
S
Department of Radiation Emergency Medicine, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa Inage-ku Chiba, 263-8555, Japan. akashi@nirs.go.jp
Nishizawa
Kanae
K
Hirama
Toshiyasu
T
Noda
Yutaka
Y
Hiraoka
Takeshi
T
Kondo
Hisayoshi
H
Yoshida
Noriyuki
N
Miyaushiro
Norihiro
N
Hachiya
Misao
M
Hayata
Isamu
I
Akashi
Makoto
M
D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011874:Radiometry; D014965:X-Rays