Radiation Kills Man in Estonia

TALLINN, Estonia — A tiny sliver of highly radioactive metal poisoned the atmosphere in the kitchen of a village home, killing a man and a dog and sending four other people to hospitals.

There was no clear explanation how the sliver found its way into the home.

It was discovered after members of the family became sick. Authorities said the victims were exposed over a period of weeks to the lump of radioactive metal, cesium-137. Cesium is used in cancer research and radiation therapy.

Radiation levels in the kitchen where the metal was found were 50 million times higher than normal background radiation, said Uno Maasikas, spokesman for the Estonian Rescue Department.