While performing a medical procedure for treatment to a patient's prostate, several
I-125 seeds were spilled onto the operating room floor. Using a Geiger counter, some seeds were recovered. However, five (5) seeds were not located.
The seeds had been calibrated today and each seed contained .336 milliCi of I-125. The seeds were sealed sources and no loose contamination was detected in the operating room.
The patient received the prescribed dose and post-procedure review of the patient determined that the lost seeds were not in the patient.
The Radiation Safety Officer is returning to the hospital to continue searching for the missing seeds.
- * * UPDATE FROM TIM APPLEGATE TO DONALD NORWOOD AT 2316 EST ON 2/5/2010 * * *
At this time the RSO has been able to locate four of the five missing seeds. He is planning on continuing his search until approximately midnight tonight.
Notified R3DO (Hills), FSME EO (Shaffer), and CNSC via Fax.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.
Sources that are "Less than
IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf