Goiânia Cesium-137 Accident Memorial

The Goiânia Caesium-137 accident of 1987 was one of the worst radiological accidents in history — worse, in terms of civilian casualties and contamination, than Three Mile Island. It happened not at a nuclear plant but in the heart of a Brazilian city, when a stolen medical device was cracked open and its radioactive contents distributed among curious neighbours.

A small memorial and documentation centre marks the site of the original accident near the Praça da Bíblia. It is a sober, instructive place — less a tourist attraction than a public record of an event the city has not forgotten. If you are interested in the history of the accident, the local library also has a substantial archive. The story is told in detail in João Balista Natali's account and in the IAEA's official report, both of which are worth reading before or after visiting.

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A story
In September 1987, scrap dealers broke into an abandoned radiotherapy clinic and removed a caesium-137 source capsule. Not knowing what it was, they cracked it open to extract the glowing blue powder inside. Neighbours were fascinated by the substance that glowed in the dark; some rubbed it on their skin. By the time contamination was confirmed, 249 people had been exposed and four had died. The incident became a case study in radiation safety taught worldwide.

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