The following information was received from the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email.
The Agency was contacted on 10/23/24, to advise of the loss of a syringe containing 7.5 mCi of liquid Tb-161. The loss occurred at Siemens Medical Solutions (RML #1130-02) in Hoffman Estates, IL. Reportedly, the week of 10/16/24, a [Siemens Medical Solutions] technician placed the syringe inside a blue syringe shield for future testing. On Friday, 10/18/24, the supplier of the syringe shields (Hot Shots NM, LLC) conducted a routine collection of used shields. Despite it being properly labeled, it is suspected that Hot Shots' courier collected the syringe shield containing the Tb-161. After the investigation, it is believed the syringe was transported back to the Hot Shots' Loves Park, IL, facility where it was discarded into their Tc-99m decay-in-storage bin.
There was no indication of attempted theft or diversion.
Additional Involved Party:
Hot Shots NM, LLC
Loves Park, IL 61111
Illinois License Number: IL-01874-01
Illinois Item Number: IL240026
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