Columbus radiotherapy accident
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A radiotherapy accident in Columbus, Ohio, also known as the Riverside radiation case, occurred as the result of an incorrectly calibrated cobalt teletherapy unit, occurred between 1974 and 1976, leading to 10 deaths.
Between 1958 and 1972, the Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio became the first hospital in Central Ohio to develop an extensive cobalt therapy program, where the use of cobalt-60 became the dominant radiation source for treating patients with cancer. In 1973, 30-year-old Joel Axt was hired by the hospital as the resident physicist, as part of a plan to further expand the hospital's radiation therapy program. Axt was previously a teacher at the Xavier University of Louisiana, and had clinical experience at the University of California Medical Center, though his experience was limited to 14 months and was not enough to qualify for American Board of Radiology certification. After Axt's arrival, he had to "reconstruct Riverside's radiation physics program almost from scratch," as the previous contracted physicist had removed all his equipment.[1]