341:. Crofut was reported to have been found intoxicated, kneeling over a radiation-emitting device and exposing himself to hazardous rays. However, this incident was reported to have left Crofut with no documented injuries. On another occasion, a neighbor claimed that Crofut had been witnessed dousing gasoline over his body with a rag and then making an unsuccessful attempt to ignite himself with a match. Additionally, NRC officials believed Crofut to be an
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inside a radiography machine. The NRC discovered that iridium-192 was stolen from a locked radiographer truck less than a mile away from his home at a time which aligned perfectly with when he would have been exposed. The iridium-192 was later found back in its protective casing on another radiographer's back porch. This was
Douglas's neighbor. But up until the end he denied knowing how he got exposed.
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burns as "grotesque" and "painful", saying "the area that I looked at was the left side of his chest and it was the most of the left side from his belt line up above his breast. The meat was just completely eaten out and gone for a depth of at least 2 inches". Gibbons said the burns kept growing, finally "eating away until it got to a vital organ—probably his heart. The man was in such obvious pain."
307:. The stolen source contained a capsule of iridium-192, the type suspected of causing injury to Crofut. The NRC believed the device was an unlikely item to have been intentionally stolen, citing there was no known personal use for such a device, nor was there a market to sell it to without raising suspicions.
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his radiation injuries. He had previously been a radiographer, getting fired from the job less than a year before his death, and had working knowledge of how the machines worked and how dangerous they were. Given his background as a radiographer it was suspected he could have somehow gained access to
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No other potential sources of radiation were identified by the NRC, and the source of radiation which injured Crofut still remains unknown. The NRC investigation was eventually closed without drawing any conclusions. An NRC official reportedly described the situation as "weird", and "one with a lot
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Shortly after Crofut first sought medical care, when it was determined he had been exposed to a powerful source of radiation, his injuries were investigated by the NRC. Initially, officials were concerned that other individuals may have been injured by the same source as Crofut. Both his sister and
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as a potential source of exposure, as well as the possibility that Crofut could have unknowingly come into contact with the stolen iridum-192 device at some point in
Henryetta. It remains unknown if Crofut himself believed that his injuries came as a result of workplace exposure or by some unknown
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and placed it into his shirt pocket for at least five minutes, receiving what ultimately proved to be a fatal dosage of radiation. This was further suggested when the first suspected radioactive material he had come into contact with was iridium-192. Iridium-192 was what one would typically find
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Due to the "extremely rare" circumstances of Crofut's injury, his story was followed by the media, who reported his death to be "agonizing". One doctor stated that his cells "were degenerating before our very eyes". Following his death, Crofut's attorney, Richard
Gibbons, described the radiation
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Ultimately, the stolen iridium-192 source turned up on the back porch of a third radiographer also living in Crofut's neighborhood. Neither of the two other radiographers was believed to have been involved in the theft or in Crofut's injuries. Crofut himself denied any knowledge of the stolen
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were being considered. However, doctors were uncertain of his ultimate prognosis. It was believed that the radiation Crofut had received was "probably lethal". His deep burns continued to worsen, requiring intermittent hospitalization over the next six months. Officials reported that Crofut's
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The NRC further suggested a possible self-harm theory after looking into Crofut's personal and professional background. One past example which was cited occurred on
December 13, 1979, when Crofut was fired from Tulsa Gamma Ray Inc. (now TGR Industrial Services) for
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Sources disagree as to whether the stolen iridium-192 source was located prior to Crofut being hospitalized (most giving
January 5 as the date it was located) or whether it was located only after Crofut had already been hospitalized (on January
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and external bleeding from his left arm and torso. Crofut's sister reported that the burns were of such severity that his left nipple had been burnt away. Doctors determined that Crofut had suffered a massive exposure to an unknown source of
303:(along with its protective container) had been reported stolen from a locked truck belonging to a pipe-line inspection company. This incident occurred at the residence of a second radiographer, only a half-mile away from Crofut's home in
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or 405 rads, respectively (at around 400 rads, roughly 50% people exposed will die). The NRC believed Crofut's injuries were consistent with radiation exposure occurring between
December 15, 1980, and January 10, 1981.
263:, at the time of Crofut's death, stated that he knew of no other deaths directly attributable to a radioactive source, and Crofut was believed to be the first American to die of radiation injuries since the
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One particularly unusual circumstance concerned the difficulty in determining the radioactive source which had caused Crofut's injuries. The NRC discovered that on
December 30, 1980, an industrial
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radiographic device, and a NRC spokesman stated Crofut had never been employed by the company from whose truck the iridium disappeared and he had not been directly tied to the theft.
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Crofut continued to undergo treatment for the burns to his chest and left arm in the months following his initial injury. On June 1, 1981, he was placed into
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Following Crofut's injury and eventual death, a number of NRC investigators and other officials commented to the media that they suspected Crofut may have
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who was deeply in debt and had difficulty keeping a job. He was reported to have a record of sixteen arrests between 1974 and 1980, with most being
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By mid-March of that year, Crofut appeared to show some signs of improvement. His medical status was upgraded to 'fair', and it was reported that
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147:. It is the only U.S. death attributable to an unknown source of radiation, and the only known case in the U.S. of a suspected
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one of the machines used and using his knowledge from when he operated one, removed the iridium capsule from its heavy
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as a result of Crofut's radiation exposure. Gibbons mentioned Crofut's last workplace in
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Following his death, Richard
Gibbons stated that he would consider potentially taking
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who inspected oil and natural gas pipelines. He died in intensive care as a result of
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179:-based pipeline inspection firm. Some of Crofut's neighbors described him as a "
537:"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thursday attributed the agonizing death..."
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exposure to the stolen iridium-192 source, prior to it being re-located.
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ex-wife were tested, with neither showing signs of radiation poisoning.
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due to an ongoing infection, which resulted in his death on July 27.
453:"AROUND THE NATION; Radiation Poisoning Kills A Former Radiographer"
652:"WORKER'S PROBABLY 'LETHAL DOSE' OF RADIOACTIVITY IS UNDER INQUIRY"
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180:
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NRC tests performed on Crofut indicated he had been exposed to
208:. In late January, Crofut was transferred to another hospital (
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Prior to injury, Douglas Crofut was a 38-year-old unemployed
27:
1981 death of
American radiographer from radiation poisoning
609:
Encyclopedia of
Terrorist, Natural, and Man-made Disasters
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On January 22, 1981, Crofut was brought to a hospital in
199:, by his sister, who noticed that he was suffering from
123:(November 6, 1942 – July 27, 1981) was an American
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581:"NRC links death of man to radiation poisoning"
315:of quirks in it that so far defy explanation."
291:. The estimated dosage was believed to be 356
216:) due to his condition as a result of severe
175:in October 1980, when he was employed with a
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683:"Follow-Up on the News; 'Lethal' Radiation"
171:. He was reported to have last worked with
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769:Unsolved deaths in the United States
612:. Jones and Bartlett. p. 138.
498:"Radiation source in death mystery"
228:radiation injuries had "destroyed
774:Deaths by acute radiation syndrome
681:Haitch, Richard (March 29, 1981).
650:Franklin, Ben (February 5, 1981).
25:
424:Douglas Crofut's online memorial
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754:People from Henryetta, Oklahoma
712:"Radiation Victim Improving".
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744:Accidental deaths in Oklahoma
253:Nuclear Regulatory Commission
749:Deaths by person in Oklahoma
325:intentionally self-inflicted
606:Greenberg, Michael (2006).
88:Injuries caused by unknown
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540:United Press International
357:Accidental exposure theory
585:The Des Moines Register
395:List of unsolved deaths
169:X-raying pipeline welds
165:industrial radiographer
113:Industrial radiographer
18:Death of Douglas Crofut
121:Douglas Harris Crofut
34:Douglas Harris Crofut
764:Suicides in Oklahoma
349:violations, such as
339:alcohol intoxication
210:St. Francis Hospital
173:sources of radiation
100:West Lawn Cemetery,
714:The Daily Oklahoman
351:public intoxication
305:Henryetta, Oklahoma
301:radiographic device
167:who specialized in
133:radiation poisoning
102:Henryetta, Oklahoma
85:Cause of death
687:The New York Times
656:The New York Times
457:The New York Times
153:radiation exposure
716:. March 12, 1981.
619:978-0-7637-3782-5
137:Manhattan Project
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69:July 27, 1981
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690:. Retrieved
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659:. Retrieved
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589:. Retrieved
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506:. Retrieved
502:Gadsen Times
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461:. Retrieved
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390:Louis Slotin
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71:(1981-07-27)
739:1981 deaths
734:1942 births
285:iridium-192
230:bone marrow
225:skin grafts
728:Categories
430:References
380:Demon core
367:New Mexico
347:liquor law
281:gamma rays
145:New Mexico
141:Los Alamos
109:Occupation
46:1942-11-06
692:March 28,
661:March 28,
591:March 28,
546:March 28,
508:March 28,
463:March 28,
343:alcoholic
289:cobalt-60
257:Arlington
206:radiation
374:See also
261:Virginia
197:Oklahoma
193:Okmulgee
92:exposure
58:Oklahoma
177:Houston
149:suicide
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187:Injury
104:, U.S.
79:, U.S.
60:, U.S.
401:Notes
236:Death
214:Tulsa
181:loner
694:2020
663:2020
614:ISBN
593:2020
548:2020
510:2020
465:2020
413:22).
293:rads
131:and
66:Died
40:Born
287:or
212:in
183:".
139:at
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