Per
10 CFR 20.1906(d), Veterans Health Administration (
VHA) National Health Physics Program is reporting receipt of a package of radioactive material with removable surface contamination on the outside of the package greater than NRC reporting limits.
The package was received Friday, July 29, 2016, at around 0700 EDT by the North Florida / South Georgia Veterans Health System in Gainesville, Florida. This facility holds permit number 09-12467-02 under the VHA master materials license.
The package was checked-in and surveyed upon receipt around 0700 EDT. Wipe tests performed on the external surface of the package indicated a removable contamination level of around 347 dpm/cm2 as compared to the regulatory limit of 220 dpm/cm2 for beta-gamma emitters.
The package contained one unit dosage of about 57 millicuries of fluorine-18 (as fluorodeoxyglucose) at the time of receipt. The dosage was shipped from PETNET Solutions, Inc., out of Jacksonville, Florida, who was also the delivery carrier. The facility nuclear medicine technologist immediately notified the delivery carrier by phone about the contaminated package around 0710 EDT.
The patient dosage inside the package was not impacted and was able to be used. As corrective actions, the packaging materials were set aside in a restricted area at the facility.
VHA National Health Physics Program, who manages the master materials license, was notified of the incident around 1030 EDT on August 2, 2016.
In addition, we notified our NRC Region III Project Manager of the event.
This event was reported to the State of
Florida by the shipper, PETNET Solutions, Inc., and entered by the NRC as an Agreement State report (
EN 52141).