Lyon Hospital Employee Contaminated by Radioactive Product: What We Know About the ‘Incident’
Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France – An employee at a hospital within the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL) was contaminated by a drop of a radioactive product used in cancer treatment. The incident, which occurred on May 13, was classified as Level 2 on the international scale for nuclear and radiological events by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASNR) on Wednesday.
Immediate Hospital Response to Contamination
The incident took place on May 13 at the HCL East hospitals in Bron, in the Lyon metropolitan area. During the “accidental rupture” of a “leaded vial holder” containing Lutetium-177, used for radiotherapy, “a drop was received by the worker,” stated the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) in a press release. The ASNR has not commented on the potential health risks for the contaminated individual.
The hospital immediately implemented “the management and decontamination of the person and the premises,” and concluded that the annual regulatory limit for professional exposure was “exceeded, on a single occasion,” according to the ASNR. Following the incident, the hospital conducted a structured analysis and defined corrective and preventive actions.
Incident Classified Level 2 on INES Scale
The ASNR classified the incident at Level 2 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), which ranges from 0 to 7. To date, only two accidents have been classified at Level 7: the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011.
For the ASNR, a Level 2 event (which is very rare, unlike Level 0 and 1) is considered an incident, but in a hospital setting, it indicates a significant failure of radiation protection measures, either for personnel or for patients. The ASNR will conduct an inspection to ensure the effectiveness of the corrective measures taken by the hospital.
Rare Incident Highlights Radiation Protection Concerns
This type of incident is considered rare. In its annual report for 2025, the authority judged that “the state of radiation protection” in the medical field remained “satisfactory” in France, but that this observation should “be nuanced in view of recurring fragilities observed (…) and degraded situations.”
The ASNR also noted “the occurrence of significant events testifying to a lack of radiation protection culture,” including “exceedances of dose limits for practitioners” as well as “cohorts of patients who received doses significantly higher than expected in conventional and interventional radiology.”
Future Actions and Regulatory Oversight
The ASNR’s continued oversight underscores the importance of stringent radiation protection protocols in medical facilities. The incident at the Lyon hospital serves as a reminder of the potential risks associated with radioactive materials, even in controlled environments, and the need for continuous vigilance and improvement in safety measures.
Source: https://actu.fr/https:/actu.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/lyon_69123/un-employe-d-un-hopital-de-lyon-contamine-par-un-produit-radioactif-ce-que-l-on-sait-de-l-incident_64572991.html
