As experts from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on Friday scanned the Mayapuri industrial area in West Delhi where a radiation leak in a scrap shop left five persons fighting for life, doctors in Delhi hospitals are totally clueless as to how to treat these men.
Deepak Jain, the owner of the scrap shop, was admitted to Apollo hospital on April 4, says an Apollo Hospital press release. “His bone marrow is significantly suppressed and his condition continues be serious , currently he is in the ICU and multi disciplinary doctors team is monitoring”, the Apollo Hospital release said.
The other four labourers working in Jain's scrap shop are fighting for their lives in Delhi's rundown Deen Dayal Upadhyay government Hospital.
Said Sunil Jain, one of the relatives of the main victim Deepak Jain: “The doctors don't know how to treat radiation victims. They are passing the buck from one hospital to another.”
Said Ram Manohar Maurya, a scrap trade in the locality: “The four labourers are in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, doctors are giving them blood continuously, but all of them are vomiting blood from mouth and nose. Even the DDU doctors were unwilling to take thse radiation victims. It was only on police's request, that they were taken in but the doctors do not know how to treat them. We appeal to the government to take up treatment of all radiation victims, as the cost is prohibitive. The cost of injrections per day alone is Rs 1,10,000. ” 
Speaking to traders in the locality, what emerges is a shocking tale of negligence and buck-passing. The suspected radioactive material had come two days before Mahavir Jayanti(March 28) and was lying in Deepak Jain, a smalltime scrap dealer's shop, said Suresh Bansal, vice-president of Mayapuri RWA. Deepak used to sit on top of the drum. “During Mahavir Jayanti bhandara, we saw his hands gone blue and his hair falling. He told us it's because of some medicine reaction. Blood tests showed his platelet count was going low.”
Said Sunil Jain, Deepak's relative: “We then took him to Kalra Nursing Home. They carried out blood transfusion for a day. We donated blood for Deepak. That was three days back. When we asked for the diagnosis, the doctors said they could not say what it was. We rushed Deepak to AIIMS on Tuesday night. For two hours we wandered there, but the doctors even refused to talk to us. Then we the tradres pooled our resources and took him to Apollo Hospital. It was an Apollo doctor who suspected radiation, and immediately informed Mumbai.”
Sunil Jain added: “Five nuclear experts came on Wednesday, followed by 8 to 10 experts on Thursday. They couldn't help much. They were only scouring the area with a radiation detection device. Today experts from Narora power Plant have come.”
Amidst all this medical and scientific apathy, Delhi Police has joined in by creating a no-entry zone of around 500 metres radius, to prevent people from being exposed to radiation.
The symptoms of radiation are: darkened skin, falling hair and gradual paralysis of the boy organs.
PTI adds: Experts were examining whether there was any other source of a similar emission in the vicinity. The team, which first collected and isolated the mysterious shining object from the scrap shop in Mayapuri Industrial area in a sophisticated lid, had sent it for further investigations.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Aggarwal, experts visited the Mayapuri scrap market on Friday morning also and scanned the area to check whether there was any other source of radiation emission in the vicinity.
"The team had identified the source of radiation. They have collected the material and isolated it. They are examining it," Aggarwal told PTI.
"There is nothing to panic. It was a limited radiation. All precautions have been taken and so far the experts have not found any other source of radiation," he said.
Asked whether the radiation leak was sudden, Aggarwal said it appeared that it happened over a period of time.
After the news came to light on Thursday evening, police cordoned off the area upto one km and did not allow people to enter the locality. There are around 200 scrap shops in the market.
Scientists from the Crisis Management Group of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Atomic Energy Regulation Board had on Thursday night carried out the survey of the extent of radiation in the area.
The incident, Police says, came to light on Thursday, whereas the brother of Deepak Jain, the scrap dealer who suffered serious burn injuries, says doctors were informed about this radiation four days ago.
Deepak Jain, police says, was rushed to Apollo Hospital on Thursday which informed the local police that he had suffered radiation, officials said. Deepak fell unconscious and his hands had turned black after coming into contact with the object, part of medical waste which was bought from a city hospital. Jain was later shifted to AIIMS From Apollo.
Four workers employed by him also suffered injuries in the incident. Aggarwal said they expect to throw open the market to the public soon. "Further tests will be done by experts," he said.
Jain's relative Rajesh said that there were small black patches on the scrap dealer's body and they kept getting worse. Locals said there was a peculiar smell in the area.
Dr B K Bhaumik of Delhi Atomic Centre said they are sure that the material was not uranium. "We cannot say what the chemical is. A BARC team will analyse the material. It is not uranium, that much we can say," Bhaumik said.
Ajay, a resident of Mayapuri said, the scrap was brought to the shop about a week ago. "They were cleaning the object when one of the labourers started losing hair. His finger nails also broke. Others also then fell ill," Ajay said.
Though police suspect that the dealer bought the scrap from a city hospital, they are also investigating reports whether he got it from Faridabad. "We are also probing whether the scrap material originated from abroad," a senior police official said.
PTI adds: According to senior AIIMS doctor Randeep Guleria, exposure to radiation can have immediate or long-term effect.
"The immediate effects are superficial burns which can be very deep. What is also of concern is the degree of exposure which has occured in terms of ionising of radiation and sometimes because of it, they can have long-term effects like infertility," he said.
As it emits strong gamma rays, external exposure to cobalt-60 is also considered a significant threat, studies said.
The magnitude of the health risk depends on the quantity of Cobalt-60 involved and exposure conditions such as length of exposure, distance from the source and whether the cobalt-60 was ingested or inhaled.
Because of gamma radiation, external exposure to large sources of Cobalt-60 can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness, or even death.
Though a large portion of the Cobalt-60 that is ingested is excreted from the body via feces, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and bones.
Cobalt-60 absorbed by the liver, kidneys, or bone tissue can cause cancer because of exposure to the gamma radiation, the studies said. PTI
