The Nuclear Safety Commission has launched an investigation into the radiation exposure incident that occurred at Samsung Medical Center.
The Commission noted on the 3rd that an incident occurred in which a guardian was exposed to radiation while treating a patient in the linear accelerator room at Samsung Medical Center.
Samsung Medical Center reported the incident to the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) after realizing that the guardian was inside the linear accelerator room during patient treatment around 9 p.m. on the 2nd. The treatment lasted about 3 to 5 minutes, and the incident was confirmed only after the treatment was completed. The guardian was approximately 2 meters away from the linear accelerator emitting radiation, and it was reported that there were no unusual symptoms related to radiation exposure at the time of reporting.
A linear accelerator is a treatment device that shoots high-energy X-rays or electromagnetic waves at patients to kill tumors or cancer cells inside the body. X-rays and electromagnetic waves are radiation that destroy the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of abnormal cells.
The Commission stated that it has initiated an investigation into the incident in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety. The investigation team will conduct a review of the incident and assess the exposure dose. It will also investigate whether there was any violation of the Nuclear Safety Act.