Radiation levels in eight care workers from Taipei Municipal Jen-Ai Hospital who were contaminated with radioactive iodine two weeks ago, were 20 times lower than acceptable levels, the Atomic Energy Council said yesterday.
The contamination was caused by spilt urine from thyroid-cancer patients who received radiation treatment at the hospital, council officials said.
Cancer patients are given radioactive iodine, I-131, either orally or intravenously. After treatment, the patients excrete the I-131 in their urine.
In order to separate radioactive waste, the hospital provides patients with a special room with a toilet that flushes into a storage tank made of lead.
The urine is then kept in closed containers for one or two months in order to allow the radionuclide to decay.
Su Shian-jang (蘇獻章), director of the council's Department of Radiation Protection, said yesterday that the hospital failed to keep the urine that was contaminated by I-131 separate from other waste products, leading to the contamination incident on Jan. 14.
Su said the contamination incident was not uncovered until a local resident sent an e-mail message on Jan.22 to the Taipei City Government's Bureau of Health.
The council inspected the hospital the following day and ordered the closure of contaminated areas.
As of press time yesterday, the radiation-treatment center and the intensive-care unit of the hospital remained closed.
"When the affected floors will be opened depends on our further investigation," Su said.
Su said that the council will carefully review a radiation-safety assessment report on the incident, which is expected within days.
The eight healthcare workers who were exposed to the contaminated urine were examined on Monday by employees of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, which is under the administration of the council.
Su said that the level of radiation in one of the hospital workers was 0.05 millisieverts, or 20 times less than the acceptable level set by law, while the levels in the other seven workers were too low to be read.
Su said the council did not find any safety violations when it inspected eight other hospitals last week that offer the same form of radioactive treatment.
Su said that a preliminarily analysis suggests the accidents do not pose a major threat either to the medical personnel or to the environment.
Chiu Shu-shih (
Chiu added that radiation levels in the hospital had returned to normal background levels as of Sunday.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS