The Worst Nuclear Disasters

More than 240 people were exposed to radiation when a junkyard dealer in Goiania, Brazil, broke open an abandoned radiation therapy machine
Karen Kasmauski / Corbis

Goiania Accident, September 13, 1987
More than 240 people were exposed to radiation when a junkyard dealer in Goiania, Brazil, broke open an abandoned radiation therapy machine and removed a small highly radioactive cake of cesium chloride. Children, attracted to the bright blue of the radioactive material, touched it and rubbed it on their skin, resulting in the contamination of several city blocks which had to be demolished.

Get the Latest Photos from Time.com
Get TIME photos and pictures of the week delivered directly to your inbox.