ANA PAULA GIMENES TESSARO

ANA PAULA GIMENES TESSARO

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Prospects for fungal bioremediation of unburied waste packages from the Goiânia radiological accident
2023 - TESSARO, ANA P.G.; ARAUJO, LEANDRO G. de; SILVA, THALITA T.; COELHO, EDNEI; CORREA, BENEDITO; ROLINDO, NATALIE C.; VICENTE, ROBERTO
Goiânia, the Goiás State capital, starred in 1987, where one of the largest radiological accidents in the world happened. A teletherapy machine was subtracted from a derelict radiotherapy clinic and disassembled by scavengers who distributed fragments of the 50 TBq 137CsCl source among relatives and acquaintances, enchanted by the blue shine of the substance. During the 15 days before the accident was acknowledged, contaminated recycling materials were delivered to recycling factories in four cities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the form of recycling paper bales. The contaminated bales were spotted, collected, and stored in fifty 1.6 m3 steel boxes at the interim storage facility of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN). In 2017, a check of the content was performed in a few boxes and the presence of high moisture content was observed even though the bales were dry when conditioned and the packages were kept sealed since then. The main objective of this work was to report the fungi found in the radioactive waste after they evolved for 30 years in isolation inside the waste boxes and their role in the decay of the waste. Examination of the microbiome showed the presence of nematodes and fungal communities. The fungi species isolated were Aspergillus quadricinctus, Fusarium oxysporum, Lecanicillium coprophilumi, Scedosporium boydii, Scytalidium lignicola, Xenoacremonium recifei, and Pleurostoma richardsiae. These microorganisms showed a significant capacity to digest cellulose in our trials, which could be one of the ways they survive in such a harsh environment, reducing the volume of radioactive paper waste. These metabolic abilities give us a future perspective of using these fungi in biotechnology to remediate radioactively contaminated materials, particularly cellulose-based waste.
Further analyses of the unburied Goiania accident packages
2021 - SMITH, RICARDO B.; TESSARO, ANA P.G.; ROLINDO, NATALIE C.; VICENTE, ROBERTO
In 1987, in the city of Goiania, Brazil, a derelict teletherapy machine was disassembled by scavengers and Cs-137 was released in the environment, unleashing the biggest radiological accident in Brazil. During the 15 days before the accident was acknowledged, some contaminated materials were sold and delivered to recycling factories in a few cities in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the form of metal scrap and recycled paper bales. The contaminated material was then collected, the metal scrap was conditioned in forty-three 200-liter drums, and the paper bales were stored in fifty 1.6 cubic meter steel boxes at the interim storage of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), in the city of Sao Paulo, and there remained ever since. In 2017, 30 years later, initial analyses were performed at a sample of these boxes, checking for their activity, weight, and incongruences between the original values recorded at the time of collection and the measurement results 30 years later. The results indicated that none of the boxes checked were close to the clearance limit and that, without any sort of treatment, this radioactive waste should be stored for at least 150 years more. Visual inspection could not be performed at that time. Nowadays, some of the boxes were opened and samples from the contaminated material inside were taken for analysis. The main objective of this work is to report the results from the evaluation of the physical state of this material. After these analyses, the treatment options for volume reduction that were previously proposed were reviewed, and the method that best suits the current characteristics of the waste was chosen.
Opening the Goiânia accident unburied waste packages
2021 - TESSARO, ANA P.G.; GERALDO, BIANCA; SOUZA, DAIANE C.B. de; SMITH, RICARDO B.; VICENTE, ROBERTO
The year 2017 marks 30 years since the radiological accident in Goiânia, Brazil, which resulted from the leakage of Cs-137 from a teletherapy equipment. The contaminated material collected during the response to the accident was disposed of in Abadia de Goiás, about 20 km from Goiânia. However, in the initial 15-day period before the authorities were notified, contaminated paper bales and scrap metal were sold and transported to material recycling facilities in the State of São Paulo, one thousand kilometers away. These materials were later collected in steel boxes and drums, and stored in the intermediate waste storage facility of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute - IPEN, in São Paulo. The objective of this paper is to describe the work performed to check the present condition of the paper bales waste boxes, reassess the reported Cs-137 activities, and evaluate possible treatment methods that can be applied to reduce the volume of waste. Prospective waste treatment methods are discussed.
Further analyses of the unburied Goiania Accident packages
2019 - SMITH, RICARDO B.; TESSARO, ANA P.G.; ROLINDO, NATALIE C.; VICENTE, ROBERTO
In 1987, in the city of Goiania, Brazil, a derelict teletherapy machine was disassembled by scavengers and Cs-137 was released in the environment, unleashing the biggest radiological accident in Brazil. During the 15 days before the accident was acknowledged, some contaminated materials were sold and delivered to recycling factories in a few cities in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the form of metal scrap and recycled paper bales. The contaminated material was then collected, the metal scrap was conditioned in forty-three 200-liter drums, and the paper bales were stored in fifty 1.6 cubic meter steel boxes at the interim storage of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN), in the city of Sao Paulo, and there remained ever since. In 2017, 30 years later, initial analyses were performed at a sample of these boxes, checking for their activity, weight, and incongruences between the original values recorded at the time of collection and the measurement results 30 years later. The results indicated that none of the boxes checked were close to the clearance limit and that, without any sort of treatment, this radioactive waste should be stored for at least 150 years more. Visual inspection could not be performed at that time. Nowadays, some of the boxes were opened and samples from the contaminated material inside were taken for analysis. The main objective of this work is to report the results from the evaluation of the physical state of this material. After these analyses, the treatment options for volume reduction that were previously proposed were reviewed, and the method that best suits the current characteristics of the waste was chosen.
Radioactive waste management Goiânia - São Paulo: 30 years later
2017 - SOUZA, D.C.B. de; GERALDO, B.; TESSARO, A.P.G.; ROSTELATO, M.E.C.M.; MARUMO, J.T.; CARVALHO, V.S.; BARBOSA, N.K.O.; VICENTE, R.
Considered the largest urban radiological accident in the world, the accident in Goiânia with Cesium-137 resulted in the death of four people and injuries in another 49, besides measurable levels of internal or exter-nal contamination in 129. The accident generated also environmental contamination and thousands of tons of radioactive waste that resulted from the response activities. The accident occurred as a result of the disman-tling of an equipment of radiotherapy by employees of a junkyard. Before the accident was identified, con-taminated materials were sent to recycling companies in the state of São Paulo. The objective of this work was to report the existence of waste from Goiânia accident in the state of São Paulo and to check the estimat-ed activities at the time of the waste conditioning by measuring the current dose rates in waste packages, allowing a refinement of previously applied calculations.