Semantic search
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 54922 | 29 September 2020 11:30:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Stolen Troxler Gauge | The Ohio Department of Health reported the following via email: On September 29, 2020, at 0948 EDT, the licensee reported the theft of a moisture-density gauge from their location, Cincinnati, Ohio. Due to heavy rain the evening of September 28, a technician left the gauge locked in a company truck outside the secure facility instead of moving the gauge inside the secure facility as required. At approximately 0730 on September 29, the locked box containing the gauge was discovered broken into and the gauge and storage container missing. The gauge is a Troxler model 3411-B with a 8 mCi Cs-137 and a 40 mCi Am-241/Be sources. A report was filed with the Cincinnati police. Ohio Item Number: OH200009 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 | ||
| ENS 54912 | 16 September 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Leaking Source | The following is a summary of the email received from the State of Ohio: The licensee discovered that one of their Electron Capture Detectors (Model: G2397A; S/N: U23974; Source: Ni-63 0.015 Ci) was leaking during a routine leak test. The source has been transferred for disposal. Item Number: OH200008 | ||
| ENS 54873 | 28 August 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Shutter Mechanism Malfunction | The following was received from the Ohio Dept. of Health via e-mail: During a routine inspection of a generally licensed device a broken spring on the basis weight shutter was discovered. This spring is a fail-safe that closes the shutter in the event of the loss of air pressure. A temporary repair to the spring was made and the shutter was tested. The shutter is now working properly and a replacement spring is on order with a plan to install the spring as soon as possible after it arrives. Until the spring is replaced, the scanner will be taken off-line daily and observations made that the shutter closes. The device contains a 400 mCi, Kr-85 source. No personnel were exposed due to the spring failure. Ohio Item Number: OH200005 Ohio Reference Number: OH2020-037 | ||
| ENS 54876 | 27 August 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Incorrect Dose Delivered to Patient | The following was received from the Ohio Department of Health: The licensee tried to perform a split dose procedure on the right lobe anterior and right lobe posterior portion of a patient's liver. The prescribed dose was 60 mCi Y-90 Theraspheres (approximately 150 Gy) for each site. The posterior was treated first and then the catheter was moved to the anterior position. Post treatment scans of the patient indicated the posterior received 20 mCi (35 Gy) and the anterior received 100 mCi (180 Gy). The physician believes the catheter slipped after initial placement, resulting in an overdose to the anterior and underdose to the posterior. The licensee will no longer conduct spilt dose procedures. Ohio Item Number: OH200006 A Medical Event may indicate potential problems in a medical facility's use of radioactive materials. It does not necessarily result in harm to the patient. | ||
| ENS 54747 | 15 June 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Found Nuclear Gauge in Scrap Yard | The following was received by email from the state of Ohio: The Bureau received a call on June 15 to report that a company working under reciprocity, Chase Environmental (license number 00004KY2001, Louisville, KY), had discovered a gauging device containing a Cs-137 source at the Cohen Brothers scrap yard in Middletown, Ohio. Chase Environmental packaged the gauge and took possession of the gauge for ultimate disposal. The shutter on the gauge appeared to be stuck open or non-existent. Dose rates of 407 mR/hr on contact with the area where the shutter should be, and 23.5 mR/hr at 1 foot were measured. No loose contamination was detected. No scrap yard personnel were exposed. The Cs-137 source is estimated at 6 mCi. No identifying information was visible on the gauge. A representative of the scrap yard said that they were cleaning up a section of the yard and a load of dirt with the gauge alarmed their radiation monitors on the way out. He said that this device could have been there for 10+ years. The origin of the gauge is unknown. The Bureau performed a survey of the scrap yard on June 16 with no other radioactive material detected. Ohio Item Number: OH200003 Ohio Reference Number: OH 2020-024 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 | ||
| ENS 54739 | 4 June 2020 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Source Delivered to the Wrong Facility | The following information was received from the state of Ohio via email: JSW Steel (OH license # 31201420001) located in Mingo-Junction, Ohio reported that they sent a mold to RTI in Titusville, PA with a source still in the mold on June 2, (2020). The device is a Berthold LB 300 ML series with a 4 mCi Co-60 source. JSW contacted AM Health and Safety to go to RTI and secured the source in a container. AM Health and Safety is planning on shipping the source back to JSW Steel next week once the transportation paperwork is completed. Ohio Event Report No.: OH200002 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 Note: This device is assigned an IAEA Category 3 value based on the actual radioactivity of the source, not on the device type. (Reference IAEA RG-G-1.9) THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "NOT RECORDED" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL | ||
| ENS 54479 | 14 January 2020 05:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Cs-137 Source Found at a Scrap Yard | The following information was received via E-mail: An unknown device was discovered at a metal scrap yard in Ohio. The device has no markings or labels. A Cs-137 source of unknown activity was identified in the device. No loose contamination was detected. Maximum dose rate on the device is 500 mr/hr and 6 mr/hr at one meter. The device is secure at the facility pending disposal. The Ohio Department of Health will continue to track down the origin of the source. Ohio Item Number: OH200001 | ||
| ENS 49005 | 19 April 2013 04:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Found Orphan Radium Sources | The following information was received via E-mail: On 4/19/13 the (Ohio) Bureau of Radiation Protection (BRP) received a call from the RSO of broad-scope licensee Ohio State University (OSU). The RSO stated that he had received a call from a woman who had been helping an elderly neighbor clean out a garage after her husband's death. The husband had been a college professor. The woman and widow had discovered a large, five-gallon can filled with what appeared to be lead. The widow indicated that she believed it contained radium needles. On 4/21/13 the woman contacted BRP to arrange pickup of the device and deliver it to OSU. OSU has volunteered to store the device pending disposal. On 4/22/13, three BRP inspectors went to the home to perform radiological surveys of the container. Wipes were taken of the outside and a field scan of the wipes identified no removable contamination. The maximum dose rate reading at contact was 1.7 mrem/hr. The inspectors were unable to verify that the material was radium. The device was loaded into the BRP truck and transferred to the OSU Radiation Safety Office and placed in a secure radioactive material storage area. On 4/23/13, BRP contacted the US-EPA to request assistance in identification and disposal of the container and material, assuming it to contain one or more radium needle orphan source(s). BRP is also contacting the CRCPD (Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors) for assistance in disposal. On 5/2/13 BRP inspectors visited the widow's home, at her request, to ensure there were no other similar containers or materials present. The inspectors discovered a second container that was identified as containing radium. This container was also taken to OSU and placed in a secure radioactive material storage area. US-EPA was contacted about this second device for inclusion in their investigation. BRP is currently working to obtain more information on the origin of the radioactive materials. No further information is available as of this date (5/6/13). BRP indicated that the 'containers' appear to be homemade lead pigs. The second container has a maximum dose rate reading of 2.5 mrem/hr at contact. Gamma spectroscopy analysis of the second container, along with a partial label found, indicate that the contents may be Radium-226. Ohio Item Number: OH130013 |