The following was received from the State of
California via fax:
On December 17, 2012, UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara) received an excepted package from Germany containing Carbon 14, 53.2 MBq in liquid form (2 vials each 1.4 mLs) which had removable contamination in excess of 49CFR, Section 173.443, on the outside of the package. The package and inner package did not show signs of damage. Wipes were taken on the outside of the box (4 sides and bottom) using filter paper and wiping 100 cm squared. Vials were placed into a 20 mL vial containing 15 mLs of liquid scintillation cocktail. Vials were then counted on a Beckman LS6000LL, liquid scintillation counter for 2 minutes. All areas of the box were found to be contaminated, with the highest removable contamination at 32,000 dpm/cm squared. The licensee reported this event via CA EMA and notified the final delivery carrier and the company that shipped the package (Sanofi, Frankfort, Germany). Of note, there was a note on the shipping paperwork that when the box arrived at LAX, it was opened by World Carrier personnel to replenish dry ice prior to then transporting it onto the UCSB.
CA 5010 #: 121712