Cesium in the City: The Goiânia Radiation Disaster

In 1987, in the heart of Brazil, a glowing blue powder captivated the residents of Goiânia—and unleashed one of the worst radiological disasters in history. This wasn’t a meltdown or a terrorist attack. It started with a forgotten medical device, a few scrap metal salvagers, and a capsule of cesium-137 that no one knew was deadly.In this episode, host Stephanie Einstein Tashiro takes us into the homes, hospitals, and haunted neighborhoods of Goiânia, where children played with radioactive dust and entire families were irradiated before anyone understood what was happening. We explore the personal and public fallout: the lives lost, the stigma that lingered, the regulations that finally followed—and the shimmering glow that deceived them all.Sometimes, the deadliest disasters don’t make a sound. They just… shine.