A radiation therapy unit in a hospital.
Hospitals and clinics where such procedures are available has strict protocols regarding the handling of these devices.
Failing to do so can lead to tragedy.
Such an incident happened in theBrazilian city of Goianiain 1987.
The salt was encased in a shielded canister made of lead and steel.
The court appointed a guard on the site, but it was not enough to keep out scrap hunters.
The two went to Alves home where they began dismantling the equipment.
The following day Pereira began to experience diarrhea and dizziness, and his left hand began to swell.
Thinking it might be gunpowder, he attempted to light it but the powder wont burn.
The same day, he sold the source to a nearby scrapyard.
This glow was resulting from the radiation ionizing the air molecules.
Ferreira though it looked pretty, and took the capsule into the house to show his family.
Ferreira also freed up several grains of the glowing material and distributed them among his friends and relatives.
Some rubbed them on their skin like glitter during carnival times.
On September 21, Ferreiras 37-year-old wife fell ill with vomiting and diarrhea.
Meanwhile, Devair Ferreira sold the scrap metal to a second scrapyard.
Everyone suffered multiple organ damage, internal bleeding, hair loss and external scarring.
Their later fate is not known.
Devair Ferreira also survived despite receiving a nearly fatal dose of radiation.
He died in 1994 of cirrhosis aggravated by depression and binge drinking.
Clockwise from top-left: (1) The derelict premises of the Institute Goiano de Radioterapia.
(2) Demolition of the house of Roberto Alves.
(3) Preparing to demolish the house of Devair Ferreiras neighbors.
(4) Boxes and drums of waste stacked and covered at the temporary storage site.
