Over the last 20 years there have been on average more than two reported accidents
annually with spent or disused radioactive sources each exposing a number of people. The real number of accidents is probably much higher. Considering uncertainties involved in reported accidents, the trend seems to be towards fewer accidents per year, but an increase in the number of over exposed people. Accidents with disused or spent radioactive sources normally give rise to large individual exposures and on average have caused the deaths of two or three persons per accident. In one incident a lost source caused the death of eight persons