Serious Injuries from MRI-Accident
Due to a short-circuit in the MRI console of a Freiburg hospital (August
2001), heavy smoke penetrated into the adjacent rooms.
Unfortunately the well-trained and competent staff was asked to leave the
area, and so nobody knew that in spite of turning off all power supply the
magnet was still energized.
During a check-up round a fireman with full breathing equipment was drawn
into the bore where he got stuck. Only after quenching the magnet he could
be saved suffering serious injuries.
(see: "Brandschutz" Deutsche Feuerwehr-Zeitung 3/2002 p. 281 ff.)
As a consequence the fire department told us to establish a fixed stoppage
around all >10T-magnets at the campus.
Dr. Johannes Gottfried Zimmermann
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Institut für Organische Chemie
Marie-Curie-Str. 11
D-60439 Frankfurt
Tel: +49-69-798-29122
Fax: -29128
Received on Wed May 29 2002 - 08:25:33 MST