Anatoli Petrovich Bugorski is a Russian retired particle physicist.
16 Facts About Anatoli Bugorski
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Anatoli Bugorski is known for having survived a radiation accident in 1978, when a high-energy proton beam from a particle accelerator passed through his head.
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On 13 July 1978, Bugorski was checking a malfunctioning piece of equipment when the safety mechanisms failed.
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Anatoli Bugorski was leaning over the equipment when he stuck his head in the path of the 76 GeV proton beam.
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Anatoli Bugorski reportedly saw a flash "brighter than a thousand suns" but did not feel any pain.
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Anatoli Bugorski understood the severity of what had happened, but continued working on the malfunctioning equipment, and initially opted not to tell anyone what had happened.
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The left half of Anatoli Bugorski's face swelled up beyond recognition and, over the next several days, the skin started to peel, revealing the path that the proton beam had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath.
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However, Anatoli Bugorski survived, completed his PhD, and continued working as a particle physicist.
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Anatoli Bugorski completely lost hearing in the left ear, replaced by a form of tinnitus.
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Anatoli Bugorski was able to function well, except for occasional complex partial seizures and rare tonic-clonic seizures.
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Anatoli Bugorski continued to work as a physicist at the Institute for High Energy Physics, eventually becoming the experiment coordinator for the same particle accelerator by which he was injured.
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Anatoli Bugorski continued going to the Moscow radiation clinic twice a year for examinations and to meet with other nuclear accident victims.
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Anatoli Bugorski was described as "a poster boy for Soviet and Russian radiation medicine".
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In 1996, Anatoli Bugorski applied unsuccessfully for disability status to receive free epilepsy medication.
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Anatoli Bugorski showed interest in making himself available for study to Western researchers but could not afford to leave Protvino.
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Anatoli Bugorski is married to Vera Nikolaevna, and they have a son named Peter.