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TIL 4 people died (including a child) and over 200 were seriously injured after two men stole a caesium-137 radiotherapy device from an abandoned hospital and sold it for scrap, hoping to make money. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 11 months ago by bermuda@beehaw.org to c/todayilearned@lemmy.ml

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[–] Templa@beehaw.org 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Seriously, there’s not knowing about radiation and not thinking something is dangerous because it didn’t ignite with a flame, and then there’s thinking something salvaged from a hospital might contain gunpowder. These are two completely different levels of ignorance or perceived lack of privilege.

English isn't my first language so I don't understood what you meant by this. I think you just made me realize that the english might be confusing. The people that stole the equipment aren't the same that found it in the scrapyard. It is dumb but yes, they didn't know better.

As a Brazilian myself it felt disrespectful. I haven't seen anyone before judging people from this case like this.

[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

No, that is very incorrect.

There are four main men involved, two with the name Alves…

Robert dos Santos Alves (#1), who originally stole the equipment from the hospital with his friend Wagner Mota Pereira, disassembled it and opened the container, first freed glowing material and tried to burn what he thought could be gunpowder. Then sold it to the first scrapyard.
Devair Alves Ferreira (#2), the owner of the scrapyard, who bought it as scrap from Alves #1, then noticed it was glowing and took it home and invited people over to look at it, before selling it to a different scrapyard, after two people already freed material from it.
plus man #3, a friend of the first scrapyard owner (identified as "EF1" in the IAEA report), the second to free glowing grains after the original guy, who passed them around to friends and family, and infected his wife Maria, who was the only one with any common sense when she realized everyone was getting sick, then reclaimed the thing from the second scrapyard and took it to authorities.
plus man #4, Ivo, the first scrapyard owner’s brother, who also freed glowing grains and took them and spread them on his floor, having no idea what it was, where it contaminated his daughter and her food.

So my first comment was only referencing the original Alves #1 with no daughter, and my reply references both him in the first part, and the 4th guy with a daughter in the second part.