PNO-III-97-084, on 971010,licensee Received Empty Container from Hosp Customer Which Had Radioactive Contamination in Excess of DOT Limits on External Surface of Container. Incident Under Review
| ML20206R302 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 03000001 |
| Issue date: | 10/14/1997 |
| From: | Jamnes Cameron, Mulay S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNO-III-97-084, PNO-III-97-84, NUDOCS 9901190233 | |
| Download: ML20206R302 (2) | |
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. October 14, 1997 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-III-97-084 I
l This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by Region III staff (Lisle, Illinois) on this date.
Facility Licensee Emergency Classification MALLINCKRODT MEDICAL, INC.
Notification of Unusual Event Mallinckrodt Medical, Inc.
Alert Warren, Michigan Site Area Emergency License No: 24-04206-10MD General Emergency X Not Applicable
Subject:
RECEIPT OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED PACKAGE On October 10, 1997, the licensee, a nuclear pharmacy, received an empty container from a hospital customer which had radioactive contamination in excess of Department of Transportation limits on the external surface of the container. The container had been returned to the licensee for reuse.
The container had been picked up by a licensee courier at the radiopharmacy at Harper Hospital (License No. 21-04127-02) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier, a syringe containing 27 millicuries (1000 megabecquerel) of technetium-99m (MDP) had been dropped in the l
radiopharmacy, resulting in contamination on the floor and on the empty container which was nearby.
Before hospital personnel could survey and decontaminate the container.
the licensee's courier arrived and took the container.
When the container arrived at the licensee's pharmacy, a routine survey identified contamination which measured 11 millirem per hour (0.11 millisievert per hour) on the surface of the container. A wipe test showed 1.2 million disintegrations per minute (72 megabecquerel) of removable contamination.
Surveys of the courier and the courier's vehicle by the licensee showed no evidence of contamination.
l Region III (Chicago) will review this incident at the next scheduled inspection at Harper Hospital planned for the period between March and June 1998.
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9901190233 971014
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PDR IbE PNO-III-97-084 PDR
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I PAGE 2 PN-397084 The State of Michigan and NMSS have been notified. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed with the licensee and with Harper Hospital.
This incident was reported to Region III by the licensee at about 3:00 p.m.
(CDT) on October 10, 1997. This information is current as of 9:30 1
a.m. on October 14, 1997.
Contact:
SAM MULAY JAMES CAMERON (630)829-9837 (630)829-9833 I
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