Press Release-I-96-062, NRC Issues Order Suspending License of Dr. Shashi K. Agarwal of Orange, New Jersey

Press Release-I-96-062, NRC Issues Order Suspending License of Dr. Shashi K. Agarwal of Orange, New Jersey

ML003706634
Person / Time
Issue date:	09/16/1996
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-96-062
Download: ML003706634 (1)

Text

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19401 Phone: 610/337-5330 Fax: 610/337-5241 Internet: dps@nrc.gov I-96-62 September 16, 1996

Contact:

Diane Screnci FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Roger Hannah NRC ISSUES ORDER SUSPENDING LICENSE OF DR. SHASHI K. AGARWAL OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an order suspending the license of Dr. Shashi K. Agarwal, a physician in Orange, New Jersey, for failure to comply with numerous NRC requirements in the use of radioactive materials.

NRC also has issued a demand for information requiring Dr.

Agarwal, within 20 days, to inform the agency why his license to use radioactive materials should not be revoked.

Both the order, which is effective immediately, and the demand for information are based in part on violations found during an NRC inspection on April 18 and 30 at Dr. Agarwal's facility in Orange.

These violations include a lack of oversight of licensed nuclear medicine activities by an authorized user; continued use of licensed radioactive material following the resignation of the authorized user (who was also the radiation safety officer); a large number of violations indicative of a programmatic breakdown pertaining to NRC regulatory requirements; and providing inaccurate information to the NRC. Dr. Agarwal failed to appear at a scheduled predecisional enforcement conference to discuss the apparent violations with NRC representatives.

In the order, Hugh L. Thompson, Deputy Executive Director for Nuclear Materials Safety, Safeguards, and Operations Support, said: "These actions by the licensee have raised serious doubts as to whether the licensee can be relied upon in the future to comply with NRC requirements and to provide complete and accurate information to the NRC."

The order requires that Dr. Agarwal suspend all NRC-licensed activities and place all NRC-licensed materials be placed in secured storage. It further requires that he keep all records related to licensed activities in their original form, and prohibits him from ordering, purchasing, receiving or transferring any licensed material while this order is in effect.

Dr. Agarwal has 20 days to respond to the order or to (more)

request a hearing. Such a request will not stay the immediate effectiveness of this order.