Egypt Incident

In 2000, casualties resulted from a radiography source unwitting brought into a household in Egypt. Four iridium sources used for checking pipes were lost and the workers searched unsuccessfully for them. One poor family found one source on and took it home, believing it to be a precious metal. It contained iridium-192. The father of the household and his 9 years old died of radiation sickness and other family members were hospitalized. 76 neighbors were treated for minor symptoms of blood changes.