ENS 47613
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
05:00 Jan 19, 2012 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Radium-226 Sources Discovered at Waste Transfer Station |
| Event Description | The following event was received via facsimile from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection [DEP], Bureau of Radiation Protection:
Event Description: On Thursday, January 19, 2012, DEP's southeast regional office received a call from the Waste Management, Inc. Norristown solid waste transfer station stating that a roll-off container of waste had set off their radiation alarm. The facility's consulting health physicist investigated, along with representatives of the Department's Bureau of Radiation Protection. The radioactive material recovered from the roll-off was four (4) small cylinders identified as approximately one (1) curie [total] of radium-226 contained in what appeared to be a lead-lined box. The lead-lined box (with shiny exterior) was inside an old metal locking box that contained various other source holders, instruments and applicators, some containing the name 'Standard Chemical.' It is believed these Ra-226 sources are vintage circa 1920 medical radiation therapy capsules. Preliminary wipes revealed no significant removable contamination, thus, no leaking sources. The consultant HP was given a DOT Special Permit for transport, and [took] possession of the Ra-226 for safe and secure storage. Contact dose rates outside the closed shiny metal lead-lined box were as high as 2.0 R/hr. In an open configuration, dose rates were about 100 R/h in near contact with the sources. The unlocked roll-off container was located for several weeks in a parking lot of an adult-only living community in West Chester, PA while a contractor performed work on townhomes in the development. Department personnel have been in touch with the contractor and will be interviewing workers, as well as nearby homeowners to determine if any people were significantly exposed to these sources. Local outreach is also planned to ensure similar sources are not in the public sector. CAUSE OF THE EVENT: Suspected intentional abandonment of old medical radium sources in an open construction waste dumpster. ACTIONS: The Department is in contact with DOE and a LLRW vendor for transfer or disposal of Ra-226 sources. Further investigations will be performed, as well as any needed dose reconstruction. Pennsylvania Report: PA120004 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 This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Unknown Norristown, Pennsylvania (NRC Region 1) | |
| License number: | UNKNOWN |
| Organization: | Pa Bureau Of Radiation Protection |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+39 h1.625 days <br />0.232 weeks <br />0.0534 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | David Allard 20:00 Jan 20, 2012 |
| NRC Officer: | Bill Huffman |
| Last Updated: | Jan 20, 2012 |
| 47613 - NRC Website | |
Unknown with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 575222025-01-29T06:00:00029 January 2025 06:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Orphan Source ENS 572262024-07-15T12:59:00015 July 2024 12:59:00 Agreement State Suspected Radioactive Material Found ENS 561482022-10-05T04:00:0005 October 2022 04:00:00 Agreement State Two Abandoned Sources ENS 556972022-01-07T05:00:0007 January 2022 05:00:00 Agreement State Found Moisture Density Guage ENS 544262019-12-06T06:00:0006 December 2019 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Density Gauge Found at Scrap Yard ENS 529712017-09-08T18:53:0008 September 2017 18:53:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphan Source Discovery ENS 529292017-08-24T04:00:00024 August 2017 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Damaged Packaging - Source Intact ENS 528322017-06-28T04:00:00028 June 2017 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphaned Cs-137 Source Recovered ENS 525592017-02-16T21:00:00016 February 2017 21:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Cpn Instrotek Notified California of Missing Cpn Nuclear Gauge Location ENS 524672016-12-29T05:00:00029 December 2016 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Apparent Uncontained Radiation Source Detected ENS 520892016-07-12T04:00:00012 July 2016 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Fixed Gauge Found at Metal Recycling Faculty ENS 520882016-07-11T04:00:00011 July 2016 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Fixed Gauge Found at Metal Recycling Faculty ENS 518762016-04-21T05:00:00021 April 2016 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radiation Level on Package Greater than Limits ENS 518662016-04-11T07:00:00011 April 2016 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Ra-226 Source Found in Garbage Truck ENS 517532016-02-22T05:00:00022 February 2016 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Unplanned Contamination at Metal Recycling Facility ENS 513842015-09-08T05:00:0008 September 2015 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphan Ra-226 Source ENS 513272015-08-15T04:00:00015 August 2015 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphan Source Found in a Garbage Truck ENS 513222015-08-11T05:00:00011 August 2015 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphaned Source Discovered / Possible Overexposure Involved ENS 513152015-07-13T13:45:00013 July 2015 13:45:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Ndc Gauge Recovered from Landfill ENS 511962015-06-01T06:00:0001 June 2015 06:00:00 Agreement State Colorado Agreement State Report - Radium-226 Discovered at Scrap Yard ENS 509862015-04-15T19:15:00015 April 2015 19:15:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Source Discovered at a Transfer Station ENS 511012015-04-14T05:00:00014 April 2015 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Cs-137 Found in Waste Entering a Landfill ENS 509722015-04-10T04:00:00010 April 2015 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radium-226 Source Found in Load of Scrap Metal ENS 502282014-06-23T07:00:00023 June 2014 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Damaged Fixed Gauge Found in Scrap Metal Shipment ENS 499642014-03-26T04:00:00026 March 2014 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Y-90 Sir-Spheres Treatment Dose Less than Prescribed ENS 498432014-02-07T06:00:0007 February 2014 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Unknown Radioactive Material Discovered in Garbage Truck at Landfill ENS 495132013-10-31T05:00:00031 October 2013 05:00:00 Agreement State Orphan Sealed Source Recovered at a Scrap Yard ENS 491462013-06-24T18:30:00024 June 2013 18:30:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Scrap Metal Shipment Found to Contain Unidentified Radioactive Material ENS 490352013-04-24T06:00:00024 April 2013 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Found Radium 226 Source ENS 487992013-03-01T05:00:0001 March 2013 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Shipment Containing Cesium-137 Found ENS 487532013-02-14T08:00:00014 February 2013 08:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Discovery of Gas Chromatograph in Building Attic ENS 488152013-02-14T04:00:00014 February 2013 04:00:00 Agreement State Blackout Button Found in Load of Scrap Metal ENS 487282013-01-28T05:00:00028 January 2013 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Smoke Detectors Found at Scrap Metal Recycling Facility ENS 491182012-11-19T07:00:00019 November 2012 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Illegal Transfer of a Device Containing Americium-241 ENS 479632012-05-25T05:00:00025 May 2012 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Uranium Source Found at Metal Check Recycling Facility ENS 477922012-03-28T20:35:00028 March 2012 20:35:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - a Moisture Density Gauge Was Found in Building ENS 476132012-01-19T05:00:00019 January 2012 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radium-226 Sources Discovered at Waste Transfer Station ENS 475592011-12-28T07:00:00028 December 2011 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Two Nuclear Gauges Found at Metal Recycling Facility ENS 473972011-10-28T17:00:00028 October 2011 17:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Orphaned Source Discovered at a Scrap Metal Facility ENS 473962011-10-13T16:00:00013 October 2011 16:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Dose Misadministration ENS 462132010-08-03T06:00:0003 August 2010 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radioactive Material Found in Scrap Shipment ENS 461472010-08-02T05:00:0002 August 2010 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving a Source Found in a Load of Scrap ENS 460612010-06-24T16:00:00024 June 2010 16:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving a Found Ra-226 Source ENS 459542010-05-21T04:00:00021 May 2010 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Lost Source Found in Scrap Metal ENS 458192010-04-07T05:00:0007 April 2010 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State - Depleted Uranium Found in Scrap Metal ENS 458022010-03-29T06:00:00029 March 2010 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Found Portable Density Gauge ENS 456102010-01-04T06:00:0004 January 2010 06:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State - Moisture Density Gauge Found in Scrap Metal ENS 446902008-11-22T19:00:00022 November 2008 19:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radium Vials Discovered in Home ENS 444642008-08-08T07:00:0008 August 2008 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving a Lost or Stolen Tritium Exit Sign ENS 440582008-03-12T18:30:00012 March 2008 18:30:00 Agreement State Agreement State - Unidentified Radioactive Material Received at Metal Recycling Facility ENS 438112007-11-28T01:11:00028 November 2007 01:11:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material Found at a School ENS 436812007-09-28T17:00:00028 September 2007 17:00:00 Agreement State Wisconsin Agreement State Report - Ndc Gauge Found in Scrap Yard ENS 436202007-09-06T15:30:0006 September 2007 15:30:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - California - Strontium 90 Source of Unknown Origin Found ENS 435452007-08-02T04:00:0002 August 2007 04:00:00 Agreement State Ten Tritium Exit Signs Stolen from Construction Site ENS 434432007-06-19T04:00:00019 June 2007 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving Higher than Prescribed Dose Delivered ENS 432372007-03-12T19:00:00012 March 2007 19:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Lost/Stolen Exit Signs ENS 432132007-02-20T13:30:00020 February 2007 13:30:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Abandoned Industrial Gauge Found in Scrap Yard ENS 431202007-01-24T20:00:00024 January 2007 20:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report from Washington - Radiation Monitors at a Recycling Facility Detected Radioactivity Coming from an Incoming Load of Scrap Metal ENS 427272006-07-21T05:00:00021 July 2006 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Radioactive Material Identified in Arc Furnace Ash ENS 427092006-07-15T05:00:00015 July 2006 05:00:00 Agreement State Louisiana Agreement State Report of Radioactive Source Found at Old Texaco Site ENS 419492005-08-26T05:00:00026 August 2005 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State - Tritium Exit Signs Found in Recyclables ENS 419302005-08-15T04:00:00015 August 2005 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Source of Unknown Origin Found in Railcar ENS 409302004-08-05T05:00:0005 August 2004 05:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State - Recovered Device Containing Radioactive Material ENS 408512004-06-30T22:30:00030 June 2004 22:30:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report from the New York City Bureau of Rad Health ENS 402392003-10-10T04:00:00010 October 2003 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving Discovery of Nuclear Gauge in Scrapyard ENS 401542003-09-09T07:00:0009 September 2003 07:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report Involving a Recovered Source 2025-01-29T06:00:00 | |