The following report was received from the
New York State Department of Health via email:
On February 20, 2019 the Department [New York State Department of Health] was notified of a missing I-125 localization seed
(Activity:[approximately] 215 microCuries) at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.
An lodine-125 localization seed was removed from a patient, along with a specimen, in a procedure that took place on February 18, 2019 (to be confirmed in the written report). Images confirm that the seed was removed from the patient. The seed and specimen are believed to have been delivered to the facility's Pathology Department. The RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] was informed of the missing seed on February 19, 2019. Currently, the facility is trying to locate the missing seed. Updates will be provided as they become available.
Event Report ID No.: NYDOH-19-03
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