On March 24th and 25th, a fire hit the control room of the IEA-R1 nuclear research reactor, located at the Institute of Energy and Nuclear Research (Ipen), in São Paulo. The device is known for emitting a light dubbed “the most beautiful blue light in the world.”
It was inaugurated in 1957 accompanied by then president Juscelino Kubitschek. The phenomenon responsible for blue is nuclear fission in an aquatic environment.. The initiative is the result of an unprecedented partnership between the Navy and Ipen.
In addition to emitting light, the equipment also aims to produce inputs for radiotherapy, a treatment used to combat cancer.
Radiotherapy
In order for radiotherapy treatment to eliminate the patient’s cancer cells, the mineral Lutetium needs to be ‘enriched’ through radioactivity.
The substance is submerged by cords, inside a nine-meter pool where the reactor is located, to receive the radiation and transform into Lutetium-177. This way the radioisotope can be used for medicine.
Consequences of the fire
After the fire, the control room of the IEA-R1 nuclear research reactor will need a . Despite this, ANSN inspectors () verified the absence of radiological risk associated with the event.
The fire, of a localized nature, affected a set of racks, with the fire affecting cabling and reaching the ceiling region at a specific point. During the event, a nearby chair was also hit by flames.
During the inspection, aspects that require attention were identified, especially regarding the possible inhalation of chemical residues resulting from the burning of materials and soot present in the environment, which requires specialized industrial cleaning.
