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.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS