While repairing a biplane cardiovascular X-ray system in a hospital, a service technician accidentally activated the system’s floor pedal. Moving a mobile lead shield, he did not realize that the shield was jamming the pedal. He continued his work under unnoticed exposure for about 5 minutes until the system alarm was automatically activated. Most of the time, the upper part of his body was very close to the lateral x-ray tube. He wore a lead apron during the exposure but he forgot to wear his dosimeter that day.
About two hours after the exposure, the technician developed an erythema on the parts of his body that were not protected by the apron, mainly his face and neck. The next day, he reported his accident to the competent authorities and was immediately hospitalized in a unit specialized in treating heavily irradiated patients. After three days, he could leave the hospital and is now treated on outpatient basis. Considering the erythematous reaction and first information available, the local skin dose was roughly estimated to be around 5 Gray. The investigation of this accident is still ongoing.
The Netherlands has agreed to allow Urenco to be used for the British military nuclear program. This clears the way for uranium enriched by Urenco to be used in nuclear weapons. With his decision, Foreign Minister Berendsen (CDA Christen Democrats) is departing from the principle that civilian and military nuclear applications must remain strictly separate. […]
Behnam Raeesian is an internationally recognized visual artist and poster designer from Iran, known for bold political and cultural works. Through exhibitions, workshops, jury roles, and collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, he has built a strong voice in contemporary political graphic design. His projects confront complex issues such as nuclear risk and technological impact, transforming […]
Everywhere you look, the nuclear industry’s hype machine is in overdrive. Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and the UK government all tout small modular reactors as the silver bullet for climate change and energy security. Tech billionaires are hiring nuclear veterans. Wall Street is whispering about “round-the-clock power” for artificial intelligence data centers. For those old enough […]
Kernenergie en veiligheid: A wargame sought to test if a major radiological release that would prompt the evacuation of millions of civilians in South Korea could distract key US allies from assisting and rebuffing an all-out military invasion of Taiwan. The short answer was yes. The game originally presumed that China, wanting to keep the […]
Big batteries and EVs to the rescue again as faults with new nuclear plant cause chaos on Nordic grids The Finnish nuclear power plant Olkiluoto was finally connected to the grid last year, at an estimated cost of €11 billion compared to the original budget of €3 billion. That cost blowout forced its developer, the […]
