The Goiânia accident, orphan sources, trust, and risk perceptions in the wider nuclear industry

The 1987 Goiânia accident remains arguably one of the most devastating orphan sources accidents, and yet it seems to have resulted in little impact on public perceptions of risk regarding the wider nuclear industry. Nuclear power, on the other hand, remains a controversial sector of the nuclear industry. It operates within the shadow of accidents such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, both of which resulted in panic and clear damage to trust in the nuclear industry. But the Goiânia accident, which occurred just a year after Chernobyl and had a significantly more devastating physical impact than Three Mile Island, is seldom discussed in comparison. By mainly analyzing surveys from Brazil, the nation in which the Goiânia accident occurred, and the United States, the relationship between trust and perceptions of risk, and how they are reflected in the impact of radiological accidents, can be effectively discussed. This, combined with additional factors such as the effectiveness of radiation warning symbols, demonstrates why the Goiânia accident had such a minor impact on public perceptions of risk in comparison to accidents like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. From this, how to combat negative perceptions of risk regarding specifically nuclear power can be considered.