PNO-III-87-157, on 871222,licensee Reported Mo-99/Tc-99m Generator Missing.Device Not in Shipment Delivered on 871116.Search of Warehouse Unsuccessful.Region III Will Continue to Monitor Licensee Efforts to Locate Generator

PNO-III-87-157:on 871222,licensee Reported Mo-99/Tc-99m Generator Missing.Device Not in Shipment Delivered on 871116.Search of Warehouse Unsuccessful.Region III Will Continue to Monitor Licensee Efforts to Locate Generator

ML20237E020
Person / Time
Site:	03000001
Issue date:	12/22/1987
From:	Hind J, Mallett B, Sreniawski D NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:
References
PNO-III-87-157, NUDOCS 8712280094
Download: ML20237E020 (2)

'PRELIfrINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-III-87-157 Date 12/22/87 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by the Region III staff on this date.

Facility: Mallinkrodt, Inc. Licensee Emergency Classification:

2703 Wagner Place Notification of an Unusual Event Maryland Heights, Missouri Alert Site Area Emergency License No. 24-04206-01 General Emergency X Not Applicable gh [

Subject:

Missing Molybdenum-99 Generator On December 22, 1987, the licensee reported to Region III (Chicago) that it could not locate a molybdenum-99/ technetium-99m generator which was to have been delivered to a Fort Worth, Texas hospital on November 16, 1987. The generator is used to supply a short-lived radioactive pharmaceutical, technietium-99m, which is used in various diagnostic medical l procedures. (Technetium-99m has a half-life of 6 hours6.944444e-5 days <br />0.00167 hours <br />9.920635e-6 weeks <br />2.283e-6 months <br />; molybdenum-99, which remains in the generator, has a half life of 66 hours7.638889e-4 days <br />0.0183 hours <br />1.09127e-4 weeks <br />2.5113e-5 months <br />.)

The generator was among a shipment delivered to customers at various. locations in Oklahoma and Texas by a courier service's truck. At each location, the fresh generators were delivered and the spent generators picked up for recycling.

The Fort Worth hospital reported on *kvember 16, 1987, that the device had not been delivered. The licensee believes that the generator may have been mixed up with spent generators which were picked up and returned to Maryland Heights. A search of the warehouse l containing some 15,000 spent generators did not locate the missing generator.

l The activity in the generator would have been 941 millicuries on November 16, 1987, and 11 microcuries on December 22, 1987.

l Region III will continue to monitor the licensee's efforts to locate the generator. The j matter will be reviewed during the next routine inspection. Region IV (Dallas) has been

- advised of the missf enerator.

D. Srenia cc /WU CONTACT: (FTS 388-5611) B.Malp Jb (FTS 388-5612) rJ Hind (FTS 388-5510) t l

l DISTRIBUTION:

l H. St. NMBB Phillips E/W Willste Chairman Zech AEOD NRR DTK NMSS l Comm. Roberts ARM 01 l Com. Bernthal EDO AirRights Mail To:

Comm. Carr Com. Rogers PA OGC SLITP 93[ DCS (Original)

D0T (Trans. Only)

SECY OGC-H FAX TO: Nicholson Lane Regions CA INP0 RES Region I GPA NSAC Region II ACRS Licensee Region IV PDR Resident Inspector Region V HQS. Operations Officer 9.T[

I Region III 8712280094 871222 Rev. November 1987

-1 157 DCD D TSlf

.e i, .~ ; - -- g PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-III-87-157 Date 12/22/87 The States of Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri will- be notified.

Region III received initial notification of the missing generator from the licensee at 10:20.a.m., December 22, 1987. This information is current as of 8 a.m., _ December 23 -1987.

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