Radioactive substance stirs panic in Turkey’s northwest

SAKARYA

AA Photo

The discovery of a radioactive substance stirred panic in the northwestern province of Sakarya on Oct. 20, as a child was hospitalized due to purple-colored spots that appeared on his body. 

The 16-year-old child, identified only as Eyüp B., was hospitalized after playing with a metal object he found in a construction site in the Arifiye district.

Eyüp B. brought the metal object home and started suffering from nausea. He was taken to hospital, where the doctors vaccinated him against the illness. Bruises and wounds started to appear on his body afterwards, and Eyüp B. was taken to the hospital again. 

Doctors alerted Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) after becoming suspicious of radiation. 

The pediatrics section of the hospital was shut and personnel were evacuated as a precaution. AFAD cleared out the street the child lives on and distributed masks to people. 

A statement was released from the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority shortly after the incident, saying there was no reason for residents to panic. 

“The measures taken in the area are ongoing. A radioactive source was spotted in Sakarya. Radioactive contamination is not a question,” the statement read.