Man exposed to radiation dies, another critical

Rajender Prasad, the victim, was exposed to Cobalt 60 at a scrap dealer shop in Mayapuri in West Delhi on April 8. He died of multiple organ failure on Monday.

Updated - November 28, 2021 08:43 pm IST - New Delhi

A scene at the Mayapuri scrap market, where the case of fatal radiation poisoning was reported. File photo

A scene at the Mayapuri scrap market, where the case of fatal radiation poisoning was reported. File photo

A 35-year-old man died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), 19 days after he was exposed to radioactive material in the scrap market of Mayapuri in west Delhi. Another victim continues to remain critical, doctors said Tuesday.

Rajender Prasad, who was exposed to Cobalt 60 at a scrap dealer shop in Mayapuri in west Delhi and admitted to AIIMS on April 8, died around 9.30 p.m. Monday after multiple organ failure.

“He developed bilateral pneumonia and was exhibiting signs of kidney and liver function impairment. He was put on ventilator April 24,” a doctor treating the radiation victims said.

According to doctors, another radiation victim Ram Kalap is critical and his blood counts have reduced significantly. He has been put on prophylactic antibiotic and antifungal agents.

Eight radiation victims have been admitted to hospitals so far.

Six people were admitted at AIIMS with radiation exposure. One was discharged on April 20. Three patients continue to have low blood count but are “stable”, the doctor said.

Deepak Jain, a scrap metal dealer from Mayapuri, was the first victim. He turned black after he touched the radioactive source. He had a considerably suppressed bone marrow and is hospitalised at the Indraprastha Apollo hospital.

Ajay Jain, another scrap metal dealer from Mayapuri, was admitted to Max Hospital in Pitampura on April 10. He suffered minor burns and was declared radiation free by the hospital authorities. His condition is being monitored.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.