Semantic search
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Entered date | Event description | |
|---|---|---|
| ENS 42691 | 7 July 2006 16:31:00 | At 1000 CDT on 7/7/06, additional Am-241 contamination was discovered in Magill Hall Room 215. An area of approximately 10-12 sq. ft. was identified having gross contamination levels of approximately 10 nanocuries with 0.05 nanocuries removable (alpha emitters) underneath cabinets being moved . The room has been posted as a contaminated area with access controls in place. A Radiation Work Permit will address decontamination on Monday morning, 7/10. A cabinet was taken from Room 215 by two (2) movers and loaded onto a truck. A radiation survey found contamination on the truck lift gate and the truck bed which have been decontaminated. The truck will be rechecked for contamination before being released. The source of the contamination is an Am-241 spill referenced in previous Event Notifications #'s 37282 and 37298. |
| ENS 42345 | 16 February 2006 17:00:00 | A contamination survey was being performed to relocate 16 cabinets in Room 25 of Magill Hall to change the use of the approximately 500 square foot storage room. These 16 cabinets had not been moved since the basement of Magill Hall went through a decontamination remediation related to an Americium 241 spill in 2000 (See EN# 37282 and EN# 37298). The contamination survey was conducted due to a license condition relating to the removal of equipment from the facility due to the spill in the year 2000. After the cabinets were moved, fixed Am-241 contamination was found . The contamination testing was limited to 20-25 spots of 100 square centimeters on the floor of Room 25, except for one spot on one cabinet. It is estimated that approximately 30% of the room floor has potential contamination. The highest spot had 80,000 dpm fixed contamination of Am-241 (release limit of 100 dpm). Many other spots ran in the 15,000-35,000 dpm range. The average spot was calculated at 5000 dpm of fixed contamination of Am-241. Air monitoring of the room shows only background levels. Individual counting of the air samples is in progress. There is no indication of airborne contamination at this time. The room is now controlled by a high security lock which can only be opened by the licensee RSO. The room has been posted as a Radioactive Materials Contaminated Area. A very high percentage of the contamination is fixed. One round of decontamination using wet paper towels has reduced the contamination considerably but was not eliminated. The licensee estimates that it will perform up to 3 additional decontamination rounds using gentle techniques (wet paper towels) one week apart to allow the floor to dry between rounds. |