This report summarizes the assessment made of an accidental overexposure of radiotherapy patients that occurred at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José, Costa Rica, in August and September 1996. The assessment was carried out by an Expert Team convened by the IAEA in July 1997 at the request of the Government of Costa Rica. The findings of the Expert Team's assessment are presented in two parts: (1) an evaluation of the doses to patients by analysing the treatment records and physical measurements; and (2) a medical examination of patients, together with the autopsy findings for those who died. Thirty cross-sectional images are reproduced that show the dose reconstructions made for some of the patients. The purpose of the report is to foster information exchange with a view to preventing similar accidents elsewhere in the future.

In February 2001, an accident occurred in the Bialystok Oncology Centre in Poland, which caused five patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment to be given significantly higher does than intended. This report reviews this accidental medical overexposure, the subsequent dose assessment and the clinical consequences to the patients. It also discusses the lessons learned and provides recommendations for preventing similar events from occurring.

Although radiation accidents are rare and often complex in nature, they are of great concern not only to the patient and involved medical staff, but to the media and public as well. Yet there are few if any comprehensive publications on the medical management of radiation accidents. Medical Management of Radiation Accidents provides a complete refe

A serious radiological accident occurred in Istanbul, Turkey, in December 1998 and January 1999 when two packages used to transport 60Co teletherapy sources were sold as scrap metal. This report gives an account of the circumstances which led to the accident and the medical aspects, and the lessons learned.

Radiation Protection in Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology focuses on the professional, operational, and regulatory aspects of radiation protection. Advances in radiation medicine have resulted in new modalities and procedures, some of which have significant potential to cause serious harm. Examples include radiologic procedures that require ve

This Safety Report is a review of a large number of events that may serve as a checklist against which to test the vulnerability of a facility to potential accidents, and to provide a basis for improving safety in the use of radiation in medical applications. Furthermore, it is intended to encourage the development of a questioning and learning attitude, the adoption of measures for the prevention of accidents, and the preparation for mitigation of the consequences of accidents, if they occur.

The peaceful use of atomic energy has given rise to a variety of nuclear accidents from the start. This concerns all forms of use, industrial and medical. For each accident, Industrial and Medical Nuclear Accidents details the contamination of the environment, flora and fauna, and quantifies the effects of ionizing radiation. The book also examines the adverse effects on the health, both physical and mental, of the human populations concerned. The monetary cost is also evaluated. The research presented in this book is based on scientifically recognized publications and on the reports of national and international organizations competent in this field (IAEA, WHO, UNSCEAR, IRSN, etc.). The book contains chapters devoted to the most recent accidents (Chernobyl and Fukushima), with a large body of institutional and academic literature.