Radiation incident has scarred residents and businessmen for life
Radiation incident has scarred residents and businessmen for life
It's been almost a month, but the Cobalt-60 radiation episode still haunts Mayapuri.
Residents, workers and children are not just in a state of shock but are loathing the baggage of the untoward incident. The D-2 Block market, which once brightened with the hustle and bustle of daily proceedings, is now enveloped with the darkness of tan metal emission. For businessmen, the market is nothing but a place of mourning that trickles in the fear of their present and the future. There are no barricades or cautious policemen taking the rounds, but the place bears a deserted look. No one is taking any chances.
Trial and error: An official (left) checks the radioactive leakage
after securing the material kept inside a container in a truck on
April 9, 2010. Five people suffered burn injuries after coming
in contact with the tan metal in the scrap market of Mayapuri
area in west Delhi. PIC/IMTIYAZ KHAN
"The fear of radiation has spread like wildfire in the scrap market. We do not even know whether the scrap that we are picking up is radioactive or not. Recently, NDMA officials visited the area and took our blood samples and everyone is eager to know who is infected and who is not. Now, even if a dealer is suffering from fever or diarrhoea, he cites radiation as the reason," said Dwarka Prasad Gupta, a scrap dealer in the area.
Another dealer from the same block, Hemraj Gupta, states that buyers vacate the market as quickly as possible and the labourers are still scared to work.
"It will take a long time for the incident to be forgotten. It's hard to convince the labourers to work and those who do agree, are charging exorbitant rates," said Gupta.
Rajesh, a young businessman from the area, said that his family is so scared after the death of Rajendra, the first radiation victim that they hardly move out of the house now. "Earlier I used to sit in my shop for six to seven hours but now I can barely stay for an hour," explains Rajesh.
"Now I don't take scraps from the hospitals, as the thought of radiation simply scares me. I will only heave a sigh of relief once the NDMA report is handed over to me," said Narendra, another scrap dealer.
Is there a cure?
"There is no proper treatment for the radiation victims. The victim, Rajendra, who died on Monday night, was suffering from severe radiation burns. He was on ventilator and his lymphocytes; WBCs and RBCs had lowered as a result of the incident. He was facing acute cardiac problems and his liveru00a0 had stopped functioning. On April 13, Rajendra was shifted from DDU hospital to AIIMS, but he died as a result of multiple-organ failure," said Dr AB Dey, professor of the medicine department at AIIMS.
Victims of fate
According to Dr Dey, the other four victims are stable but have shown no signs of recovery yet. Though they have been given bone marrow from their respective blood groups, they can easily get infected due to weak immune systems. The most sensitive parts for infection are trachea and lungs. If these organs get infected again, the treatment will become really difficult. Blood cancer and thyroid cancer are also a threat for these patients.
One of the victims Deepak Jain is admitted in Apollo Hospital and the doctors have isolated him to avoid the contraction of other infections, which could prove fatal for him.
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