ENS 45382
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
17:45 Sep 25, 2009 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Leaking Sealed Source of Tritium |
| Event Description | On September 1, 2009, the Agency [Texas DEH] received a call from the Florida Bureau of Radiation Control notifying them that during a routine inspection of a facility in Florida, they found tritium contamination on and outside of a container that contained a prototype tritium battery sent to them by a company in Alvin, Texas. The Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) at the Texas facility was contacted by this Agency [Florida]. The RSO stated that the facility had shipped two of the six batteries they had made from their facility to Florida. He stated that they had not had contamination issues in the past with these batteries and he believed the contamination event was caused by the testing facility when they opened the outer battery housing to determine the cause of a failure. He stated that they had not experienced any significant contamination issues at their facility.
On September 18, 2009, in response to additional information provided by the State of Florida, an Agency [Texas DEH] inspector conducted an onsite investigation at the facility in Alvin. The inspector performed a removable contamination survey in the area where the batteries are handled and stored. During his investigation of the event, the inspector learned that the seven batteries were manufactured in a city outside of the State of Texas. One was shipped to the facility in Florida directly, and six were shipped to the facility in Alvin, Texas. On September 24, 2009, the Agency [Texas DEH] received notification that the results of the tritium survey done at the facility indicated all swipes exceeded the limit for unrestricted use. The Agency [Texas DEH] contacted the licensee and informed the licensee of their results. Documents regarding previous radiological surveys for the battery storage area, leak test of the 3D diodes, receipt survey on the six 3D diodes that were sent from the manufacturer, and any Bioassays that have been performed on their staff were requested from the licensee. On September 25, 2009, at 12:45 PM (local) the Agency [Texas DEH] was notified by the licensee that the area had been isolated and that decontamination work would go on for an undetermined period of time. The licensee has begun providing the requested information. Updates will be provided as additional pertinent information is obtained. Texas Incident #I-8668. See also Event Notification#45358 for the notification made by the State of Florida on the same event.
The following update was received from the State of Texas via email: On October 13, 2009, the Agency received copies of surveys performed by BetaBatt at their Texas facility. These surveys indicated contamination levels of tritium to be between 8,000 dpm and 300,000 dpm after the first decontamination effort, and between 51,325 dpm and 16,500 dpm after the second decontamination effort. The licensee is considering additional decontamination techniques to reduce the activity. The report also indicated that two individuals had received bioassay analysis. The results indicated that the two individuals had received small body burdens. The licensee has contacted Rice University and REAC/TS for assistance. Notified R4DO(Cain) and FSME EO(Delligatti). |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Betabatt Alvin, Texas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | L-05961 |
| Organization: | Texas Department Of Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+-2.92 h-0.122 days <br />-0.0174 weeks <br />-0.004 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Art Tucker 14:50 Sep 25, 2009 |
| NRC Officer: | Mark Abramovitz |
| Last Updated: | Oct 16, 2009 |
| 45382 - NRC Website | |
Betabatt with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 453822009-09-25T17:45:00025 September 2009 17:45:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Leaking Sealed Source of Tritium 2009-09-25T17:45:00 | |