ML20134J592

Insp Rept 99990002/96-06 on 961002.No Violations or Deviations/Noncompliance Noted.Major Areas Inspected: to Evaluate Circumstances Surrounding Discovery of Abandoned Sr-90 Eye Applicator in Public Domain

ML20134J592
Person / Time
Issue date:	11/01/1996
From:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:
Shared Package
ML20134J584	List: ML20134J582 ML20134J592
References
REF-QA-99990002-961101 99990002-96-06, 99990002-96-6, NUDOCS 9611150299
Download: ML20134J592 (5)

Text

.__

i U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION II Docket No.:

999 90002 License No.:

None Report No.:

999 90002/96 06 Licensee:

Dublin Animal Hospital Location:

733 East Broad Street Dublin, Virginia

)

Date:

October 2, 1996 i

Inspectors:

John M. Pelchat, Health Physicist Approved by:

Charles M. Hosey, Chief Materials Licensing / Inspection Branch 1 Division of Nuclear Materials Safety j

l l

~

Enclosure 9611150299 961101 REG 2 GA999 EMD*****

99990002 PDR

EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY

Dublin Animal Hospital Inspection Report No. 999-90002/96 06 This reactive, announced inspection was conducted to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the discovery of an abandoned strontium 90 (Sr 90) eye applicator in the public domain. This included discussions with cognizant facility personnel and observations and surveys of the device and its storage area, as well as the status of efforts to dispose of the device.

LIST OF PERSONS CONTACTED.

Dublin Animal Hospital B. Farmer, Office Manager M. Bruck, DVM, Staff Veterinarian In addition, other members of the staff were interviewed.

I i

l J

_. _ ~

1 Li' REPORT DETAILS l

01.

Scope of Program 9

Dublin Animal Hospital is a veterinary practice limited to the diagnosis e

and treatment of small animals. The facility is not an NRC licensee.

]

Discussions with NRC Region II staff and interview of the office manager revealed that the previous owner of the facility had been an NRC 2

j licensee.

Review of archived records of terminated licenses indicated that Dublin l

Animal Hospital was licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to

)

possess and use a Sr 90 eye applicator for ophthalmic research on domesticated animals. The license was originally issued December 18,

[

1%3 and listed Ray E. Jacobson, DVM: Lewis N. Springer, DVM; and i

David C. Stanley, DVM, as authorized users. The license was terminated i

on the basis of a AEC " Certificate - Disposition of Radioisotopes,"

signed by Dr. Stanley on February 16, 1968. The certificate listed Dr.

Stanley only as an individual radioisotope user.

Dr. Stanley checked the box on the certificate that irdicated that "N0 BYPRODUCT MATERIALS HAVE BEEN PROCURED AND/0R POSSESSED BY THE LICENSEE.

Interviews of the l

office manager indicated that Dr. Mey purchased the practice from Dr.

i Stanley in early January 1996.

{

02.

Review of Circumstances of Discovery of Licensed Material in the Public Domain (87100)

On August 8,1996. Dublin Animal Hos) ital notified the NRC Region II office of the discovery of a wooden )ox bearing a label that read:

i

" CAUTION, Radioactive Material." In subsequent conversations with Mary May, DVM, the current owner of the practice, as well as with the former i

owner, the NRC determined that the radioactive material had been acquired by a veterinarian physician formerly involved in the practice.

On August 26, 1996, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter to 1

Dublin Animal Hospital that documented the facility's agreement to i

maintain the device in locked storage until the NRC notified them of i

what further actions to take or until the device was transferred to a j

person specifically licensed to possess it.

i On the date of the inspection, the Dublin Animal Hospital office manager j

l-escorted the inspector to Dr. May's office where the device was being stored. The device was locked in the left hand file drawer of Dr. Mays F

desk. A survey was made of the desk using a Ludlum Model 3 survey meter i

equi) ped with a Ludlum 44 9 " pancake" G M. probe (NRC No. 0439%.

cali) rated January 25,1996. The results of the survey are summarized 4

)

below:

4 4

4 2

LOCATION RESULTS 1

The front exterior of the file 0.05 millirem per hour drawer containing the device (mR hr'2) on contact The back exterior of the desk 0.3 mR hr 1 on contact adjacent to the file drawer l

The left hand exterior surface 0.3 mR hr'1 on contact of the " leg well" adjacent to the file drawer The left hand exterior of the 1.6 mR hr'2 desk 0.05 mR hr'*on contact, at one meter The office manager removed the device's storage container from the desk.

Survey of the container measured 1.0 - 9.0 mR hr 2

i on contact. Two labels were affixed to the storage container's exterior. Radioactive contamination samples detec+ed no removable activity on the container exterior.

The front label read: " Medical Applicator, Tracer-lab, Waltham 54. MASS, USA." The toa 1abel bore the radiation symbol trefoil i

and read: " CAUTION RADI0 ACTIVE 4ATERIAL, IS0 TOPE Sr 90, QUANTITY 54 MC.

(sic). 1 14-64."

The container was opened briefly to verify the security of the device and to identify any other distinguishing markings. A label was found on i

the interior of the container top that read: "RA 1A Medical Applicator, serial no. 983, 1-14 64, 46 roentgen equivalent beta per second".

Calculations by the inspector indicate that the source activity his decayed to 24 millicuries.

Interviews of the office manager and a staff veterinarian indicated that the desk in which the device was stored was used on a daily basis by all of the veterinarians. A staff veterinarian estimated that individuals typically sat at the front or back of the desk about an hour each day.

Based on radiation levels at the front and back of the desk, a person sitting at the desk one hour each day would receive an ex30sure of approximately 78 millirem in a year. This is less that tie 100 millirem per year dose limit established for individual members of the public in 10 CFR 20.1301.

~

The inspector toured the facility with the staff veterinarian and the office manager to identify potential alternative storage areas for the device. After discussions with facility staff, the device was moved to a storage building located behind the main hospital building. The building is used to store bulk supplies. Facility staff enter the building for brief periods three to four times a day. The door of the building is secured with a large keyed " Master" padlock.

The device was laced into a recess located in a remote corner of the building adiation surveys of the container in place measured 0.3 mR hr

i i

]

3 contact and 0.05 mR hr'2 at one meter. Generally staff obtaining i'

supplies from the building would not approach within two meters of the device storage container. The office manager stated that all facility staff would be advised of the device's new storage location and to ensure that the storage building door was securely locked.

2

}

03.

Conclusion i

The inspector concluded that the Sr 90 source was in safe and secure storage.

Persons working in the vicinity of the device did not receive exposures in excess of the limit for individual members of the public established in 10 CFR 20.1301.. However, so as to keep radiation 4

j exwsures to the Dublin Animal Hospital staff as low as reasonably I

ac11evable, the device was placed in a remotely located secure storage area. Arrangements for the disposal of the device remain unresolved.

i j

EXIT MEETING

SUMMARY

The inspector presented the inspection results to facility representatives at the conclusion of the inspection on October 2,1996. The inspector discussed the new storage arrangements for.the device with the facility representatives present. The inspector also discussed the status of the device with facility owner during an October 29 1996 telephone conversation. Facility representatives did not identify any documents or processes as proprietary 'n nature, and no dissenting comments were received from the licensee.

j INSPECTION PROCEDURES USED I

IP.87100:

Licensed Materials Program IP 87103:

Inspection of Incident at Nuclear Material Facilities c

1 i

i i

j i

i j

_ - _.