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 Start dateReporting criterionTitleEvent descriptionSystemLER
ENS 5006424 April 2014 04:00:00Agreement StateAgreement State Report - Failure of Source to Retract

The following information was received via E-mail: On the evening of April 24, 2014 Elekta, (Georgia license - GA 1153-2) working under a Nebraska reciprocity general license, was installing the initial source (9.98 curies of lr-192) into the new Flexitron unit at Saint Francis Medical Center (Nebraska Radioactive Material License # 08-09-01) in Grand Island, Nebraska. During the upload procedure, the source did not completely retract into the safe and became hung-up on the in-drive. The device gave an error stating the source was detached from the cable. Following the manufacturer's recommended emergency procedures, the engineer entered the room to investigate the issue and determined the source cable needed to be cut to remove it from the stuck source drive. The Field Service Engineer (FSE) then quickly cut the exposed source cable and, using pliers, manually inserted the source into the transport container. However, due to the fact that the source cable was short, he could not get it completely into the center of the shielded transport container. The exposure rate at one meter from the transport container was 200 mR/hour. The facility physicist and FSE insured the door to the treatment room was sealed and marked so no one could enter overnight. The following morning, April 25, 2014, work began to construct temporary shielding made of lead bricks on a trolley in order to transport the container to the facility hot lab. Additionally, arrangements were made with Elekta's source manufacturer to acquire a type A container of the proper size to house and ship the source transport container to their facility, thus removing it from St. Francis premises. Elekta's Radiation Safety Officer failed to notify the State of Nebraska Radioactive Material's Program in a timely manner. The incident occurred after business hours and Friday April 25, 2014 was a State holiday (Arbor Day). No call was made to the emergency call number for the State and the information was only obtained by the Nebraska Program Manager by a series of e-mails and a voicemail after 0800 CDT on Monday, April 28, 2014. Item Number: NE14003

  • * * UPDATE FROM TRUDY HILL TO CHARLES TEAL AT 1659 EDT ON 6/16/14 * * *

The following information was received via email: On April 29, 2014, a special Type A container from Alpha Omega Services (AOS) arrived on site and the source was packaged in it for shipment. On May 1, 2014, source was shipped to AOS. On May 7, 2014, the source was received at AOS facility for safe decay storage before shipping back to Mallinckrodt. On May 21 & 22, 2014, the HDR unit involved in the incident was shipped back to Nucleotron B. V. in the Netherlands for investigations. No results as of June 16, 2014. Notified R4DO (Hay), R1DO (Welling) and FSME Event Resource via email.

  • * * UPDATE FROM TRUDY HILL (VIA EMAIL) TO HOWIE CROUCH AT 1123 EDT ON 09/09/14 * * *

The following information was obtained via email: As of July 25, 2014 there is still no determination as to the cause of the source hang-up. The HDR unit is still being analyzed at the factory in the Netherlands. As of August 27, 2014, Elekta's R & D Department has not uncovered the root cause of the incident. Extensive analysis of the drive and the log files have not been able to reproduce the specific error. R & D are in the final stages of the root cause investigation and should be completed soon. On September 8, 2014, Elekta submitted their close out report on the incident. After exhaustive & extensive analysis of the drive and the log files, the R & D Department has not been able to reproduce the specific error and could not uncover the root cause of the incident. Nebraska considers this report as closed. Notified R1DO (Jackson), R4DO (Azua) and FSME Events Resource via email.

ENS 510884 May 2015 04:00:00Agreement StateAgreement State Report - Transportable High Dose Rate Unit Damaged While Being UnloadedThe following report was provided by the Virginia Department of Health via facsimile: On May 4, 2015, a transportable HDR (high dose rate) unit (Elekta microSelectron Model 106.900, serial number 14514) licensed for use by a Virginia licensee was damaged while being unloaded from its transport trailer. The source activity at the time was approximately 8 curies of IR-192. The damage appeared to be limited to the unit's covers. The licensee contacted Elekta, Inc., (which performs work in Virginia under reciprocal recognition of its Georgia license) and a field service engineer was sent to investigate. The service engineer found the head covers and collar cover were broken and other damages, but tests indicated the unit functioned properly. New covers were ordered. During the following week the source was uploaded into an emergency container while the covers were replaced. After the source was returned to the HDR it was found to be stuck in the safe. A kink was found in the cable and a new source was ordered. A source exchange was scheduled on May 19th, but the source could not be manually unloaded as before. Instead, it had to be removed from the back of the HDR. The frayed cable was cut and the source was placed in the emergency container by the service engineer. The source fell to the bottom of the emergency container and the service engineer could not retrieve it. The container was placed in storage at the Virginia licensee's facility after additional shielding was placed around it to reduce the exposure rate to 200 microR/hour. The dose received by the service engineer as a result of the event was estimated by Elekta, using a worst case scenario, as 327 mrem whole body. The service engineer's dosimeter was sent to the dosimetry supplier for an emergency evaluation. Elekta has contacted the source manufacturer (Alpha-Omega Services) (AOS) to assist in the retrieval of the source from the emergency container and to send it to AOS for further investigation. Elekta will provide additional information as it investigates the event. Virginia Event Report ID No.: VA-15-06
ENS 5288226 July 2017 04:00:00Agreement StateLost Iridium Sources in Transit

The following is excerpted from a report emailed from the Georgia Radioactive Materials Program: On 7/26/17, two Ir-192 Elekta sources (each approximately 11.2 Ci) were shipped from Alpha-Omega Services in Vinton, LA, via a common carrier with two different destination points. They made it to the common carrier's warehouse in Memphis, TN, but then were "lost." An investigation for both cases has been opened with the common carrier and the common carrier point of contact has been notified via email. The packages were expected on 7/28/17 at their respective destinations. Serial number 31016 to UPMC Altoona in Altoona, PA and serial number 10729 to Arrowhead Radiation & Oncology Imaging Center in Glendale, AZ.

  • * * RETRACTION ON 8/10/17 AT 1114 EDT FROM GREG REESE TO BETHANY CECERE * * *

The following is excerpted from an email from the Georgia Radioactive Materials Program: Georgia is requesting retraction of the Georgia NMED Report of 8/2/17. The two sources referenced therein were never lost. Notified R1DO (Bickett), R4DO (Gepford), NMSS Events Notification and CNSNS (Mexico) by email. THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "CATEGORY 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL Category 3 sources, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them, or were otherwise in contact with them, for some hours. It could possibly - although it is unlikely - be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of days to weeks. These sources are typically used in practices such as fixed industrial gauges involving high activity sources (for example: level gauges, dredger gauges, conveyor gauges and spinning pipe gauges) and well logging. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

ENS 5369223 October 2018 04:00:00Agreement StateAgreement State Report - Leaking Sealed SourceThe following was received from the State of New Jersey via email: A reciprocity licensee informed (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Radioactive Materials Program) that during a routine preventive maintenance and source exchange of a (high dose rate) HDR unit at a hospital, the sealed Ir-192 source was found to be leaking. Upon discovery of the leakage, the source exchange was halted. The sealed source is a model 105.002 Ir-192 source manufactured by Alpha Omega Services, Inc. for use in an Elekta HDR microSelectron model 106.990, serial number 10362. The wipe test revealed the presence of 190 Bq on the check cable and 183 Bq on the source cable. Checks of the transfer tubes were within regulatory limits. Checks on the applicators used and the indexer cap are being conducted. The source is secured in its shielded position within the HDR unit. Exposure levels are normal for a shielded source. The unit itself is secured in its routine storage location. There are no HDR patient treatments scheduled for the next two weeks. This should be sufficient time for the levels of contamination to decay to below regulatory limits. At that time, the source exchange will proceed. A phone call and follow-up e-mail was made to the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Environmental Radiation.