The following was received via fax from the State of California:
A wild fire is burning in Butte County where the Feather River Hospital is located. This facility has a small Nuclear Medicine operation with radioactive materials permitted by 10 CFR 35.100, 200, and 300 (Ra-223 only). RHB [California Radiation Health Branch] has not received any notifications from this licensee (nor can the hospital be reached by telephone). Based on news reports, the extent of fire damage to the hospital may be severe. According to the previous inspection reports, the Nuclear Medicine Department should currently possess the following radioactive materials: two Co-57 flood sources (2.6 milliCuries and 2.1 milliCuries as of 11/9/18), and two Cs-137 check sources (96.9 microCuries and 16.7 microCuries as of 11/9/18). The California Department of Health-Radiologic Health Branch (CDPH-RHB) will be following up with the licensee once the area becomes accessible for inspection. This event report is being filed based on the general information that is known currently about the extent of the fire and damage in the town of Paradise, and will be updated as appropriate when more complete information becomes available.
CA 5010 Number: 110918
- * * RETRACTION ON 11/15/2018 AT 1658 EST BY ROBERT GREGER TO MARK ABRAMOVITZ * * *
The following retraction was received via e-mail:
A CA Department of Public Health-Radiologic Health Branch individual has accessed the fire devastated town of Paradise in northern CA, and has determined that the portion of the Feather River Hospital containing licensed radioactive material was undamaged in the recent wildfire. The radioactive sources were accounted for.
Notified the R4DO (Haire) and NMSS (via e-mail).
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