Real story: 'The poor farmer and the deadly treasure'

  • Thread starter mohd_adam
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In summary, a poor farmer and his family in Egypt were exposed to a radioactive source that was lost by a technician from a gas company. The farmer, unaware of the danger, thought the source was a valuable treasure and hid it under his bed. The farmer and two of his children died while the rest of the family became sick. The gas company did not report the incident to the police due to not following proper rules for using radioactive sources. This incident was reported in a famous Egyptian newspaper and also mentioned in a publication by The International Atomic Energy Agency.
  • #1
mohd_adam
The poor farmer and the deadly treasure

This real story happened in one of the countries in year 2000 ( Egypt ). A farmer and his family which consists of 7 persons went to the hospital, the all complain from inflammation in the hands, and pimples in the fingers. In the beginning, the doctors thought that this family afflicted with the sickness ' anthrax', but after the accurate examination / checkup, the doctors discovered that the reason in these symptoms is exposure to the radioactive source.

The doctors asked the farmer, did he and his family deal with radioactive materials, of course the poor farmer didn't understand the question, because he don't know what is the radioactive materials. After that, the radioactive experts went to the house of the farmer, the astounding surprise was that the radiation detectors showed that the radiation level in the farmer house is very high.

After an accurate searching, the experts found radioactive source placed in handkerchief , and it is hidden below the bed. The radioactive source was Iridium-192 which decays by emitting beta particles and gamma radiation. The radioactive source was look like spiral pin, 18 cm length and 5 mm diameter.

The radioactive source was part of the gamma camera which used in examination the welding in the gas pipes. One of the technicians in the gas company used gamma camera for examination the welding in the gas pipe which near from the field of that poor farmer, the technician lost the camera in the field of that poor farmer, but the gas company feared to report the police because the company didn't follow rules of using the radioactive sources.

The poor farmer found the gamma camera and he thought that the radioactive source is a valuable metal, the farmer thought that he found treasure, he put the radioactive source in handkerchief , and he hide the handkerchief below the bed. In the end, this poor farmer and 2 of his children died while the rest of the family afflicted with dangerous sickness
 
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  • #2
Welcome to PF!

Hi mohd_adam! Welcome to PF! :smile:
mohd_adam said:
… the technician lost the camera in the field of that poor farmer, but the gas company feared to report the police because the company didn't follow rules of using the radioactive sources.

I hope the gas company was prosecuted for corporate manslaughter. :frown:
 
  • #3
Thanks tiny-tim
 
  • #4
Can you provide a reference? I'd be interested in verifying details of this story.
 
  • #5
Only i found a website wrote (shortly ) about this accident ,
http://www.ahram.org.eg/Archive/2000/7/5/INVE3.HTM
this is the website of the most famous newspaper in Egypt , of course you can use Google to translate into English...

about the details of the radioactive source , i didn't find any website wrote the details.
 
  • #6
I found some information about this accident on the website of The International Atomic Energy Agency...

http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull434/article8.pdf

search about the word "Egyptian' , the information in page 6
 
Last edited by a moderator:

1. What is the background of the "Real story: 'The poor farmer and the deadly treasure'"?

The story is set in a small village in India where a poor farmer lived with his family. The village was surrounded by a dense forest where many believed there was a hidden treasure.

2. Is the story based on true events?

Yes, the story is based on a real incident that occurred in a village in India. However, the names and some details may have been changed for privacy reasons.

3. What was the deadly treasure in the story?

The deadly treasure in the story was a large sum of gold and precious jewels that were believed to be hidden in the forest by a group of thieves. It was said that whoever found the treasure would face a deadly curse.

4. How did the poor farmer find the treasure?

The poor farmer came across a map that led him to the treasure. It was given to him by an old man who claimed to have seen the treasure but was too scared to retrieve it. The farmer followed the map and eventually found the treasure.

5. Did the poor farmer face any consequences for finding the treasure?

Yes, as warned by the old man, the farmer and his family faced a series of misfortunes after finding the treasure. The curse of the treasure brought them nothing but trouble and they eventually decided to return it to the forest.

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