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| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 47115 | 2 August 2011 10:54:00 | The following was received from the state via e-mail: N.C. Radiation Protection Section was notified on 1 August 2011 by the Regional Medical Physicist for NC Radiation Therapy Management Services, Inc. d/b/a 21st Century Oncology of a major fire on the fifth floor of the building in which the licensee operates a radiation therapy practice on the ground floor. The ground floor did not receive direct fire/smoke damage, but did realize significant water damage to portions of its facility. One fireman was killed and 10 injured while fighting the fire. The entire building has been closed and is currently under the command of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) National Response Team (NRT) along with special agents from their Charlotte Field Division. Other agencies involved in this investigation are the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Asheville Fire Department. The licensee has been permitted to enter its facility once to retrieve critical computer servers that are utilized in patient care at their clinics throughout western North Carolina. The licensee examined its HDR remote afterloader containing one Ir-192 sealed source (<12 Ci) and found the afterloader to be undamaged and securely locked in a treatment vault. The licensee also has a small number of Cs-137 brachytherapy sealed sources (<450 mCi total) in a locked lead source safe within a locked source storage room. The licensee determined that there was no damage to the source storage room and that the room is secure. The licensee is in the process of contracting Nucletron to remove and dispose of the Ir-192 sealed source and is investigating the disposal of all Cs-137 brachytherapy sealed sources. The Radiation Protection Section has assigned an inspector to contact the ATF to determine the earliest possible time for a site visit. N.C. Radiation Protection has not received any media attention as of this report. No press release has been issued. NC Event Report ID No. NC-11-42
The State of North Carolina is retracting this report based upon further review and discussions with NRC Region I Office staff in that the sealed sources were not impacted by the fire. Notified R1DO (Bellamy) and FSME (McIntosh). |
| ENS 44946 | 31 March 2009 14:41:00 | The following was received from the state via e-mail: N.C. Radiation Protection Section was notified on March 31, 2009 by the hospital about a nuclear medicine package received from a nuclear pharmacy in excess of the loose contamination limits. The swipes performed on the package read 2890 dpm vs the limit of 2200 dpm. The package was placed in hot storage and will be stored for decay. Licensee notified the carrier and the pharmacy. NC Event Report ID Number is NC-09-20. |
| ENS 44799 | 22 January 2009 16:06:00 | The following information was received from the State of North Carolina via email: N.C. Radiation Protection Section was notified on 19 Jan 2009 by the State EOC of the loss of a Troxler Model 3430 portable moisture density gauge (Serial No. 20385) possessed by ECS Carolinas under a specific license. The gauge contained two sealed sources: (1) Cesium-137, 8 mCi, source serial no. 75-1733 and (2) Americium-241:Beryllium, 40 mCi, source serial no. 47-15863. The device was lost while being transported between job sites. While in transit, the device was on the tailgate of the transport vehicle; the device was not secured in its transport box nor was it blocked and braced. The Greensboro Police and Fire Departments were notified by the company's RSO at 17:35 (hrs.) and arrived at the scene. Efforts to find the device were not successful. NC Emergency Management was notified by the company's RSO. Instrotek (a local vendor) notified the RSO that a citizen passer-by had observed the device being struck by an SUV on Merritt Drive in Greensboro, NC. The citizen stopped and placed the device in the bed of his pickup truck and transported it to his home in Burlington, NC. The citizen notified Instrotek (telephone number on calibration label on device) of his discovery. A Health Physicist from the NC Radiation Protection Section was dispatched to the citizen's residence and arrived at 19:45 (hrs.). The device was located on the back, screened porch of the residence, well away from any occupants of the residence. The plastic housing of device was broken, but was otherwise in good condition. Radiation surveys indicated that the sources were in the shielded position, the source rod was in good condition and in the fully retracted position. The source handle/ rod assembly was not locked. The citizen reported that no one had extended the source rod while the device was in his possession. The RSO and an Authorized User from ECS Carolinas, LLP arrived at the residence, packaged the device in an appropriate transport box, blocked and braced the box in a company pickup truck, and transported the device to the authorized storage site at their home office in Greensboro, NC. There were no exposures to radiation from these sources during this event. The Health Physicist was notified on 20 January 2008 by Troxler Electronics that it took possession of the device for damage assessment and repair. The investigation of this event by the NC Radiation Protection Section is ongoing. NC Event Report ID No.: NC-09-08 |
| ENS 44706 | 9 December 2008 13:48:00 | N.C. Radiation Protection Section has confirmed the N.C. Division of Emergency Management and local law enforcement were included in initial notifications and remain engaged in the ongoing event evaluation. N.C. Radiation Protection Section was notified on 30 November 08 by an unrecorded source from UNIMIN Corporation that there was a major fire in one of their mineral processing facilities in Spruce Pine, NC. Initial reports from the licensee indicate four industrial nuclear gauges containing Cs-137 sealed sources (3 gauges contain 2 mCi each and the fourth contains 50 mCi) were present in the facility at the time of the fire. The damage to the facility exceeds $200,000 and the facility will be out of operation for over one week, so this incident is a reportable event under NC Code 15A NCAC 11.1646(a)(3) & (4). Command of the site was taken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (for fire investigation). Preliminary radiation surveys of the exterior of the facility indicated radiation levels equivalent to background. An inspector from N.C. Radiation Protection was dispatched to the scene on 4 December 08, but was not allowed access to the interior of the facility or to any records maintained by the RSO of UNIMIN Corporation. The inspector was allowed to examine and survey the exterior of the affected facility; he found the structural damage to be significant and that radiation levels about the perimeter of the affected facility were background. The UNIMIN RSO has been able to visually identify three of the four gauges from a vantage point exterior to the facility. Security at this facility is adequate. The investigation will be continued on 12/9 or 12/10 by the inspector from the N.C. Radiation Protection Section. North Carolina Report # NC-08-51. |