ENS Event | |
|---|---|
04:00 May 24, 2012 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Recovered Pacemaker |
| Event Description | A patient with a Pu-238 pacemaker died on 5/16/12 and was scheduled to be buried on 5/26/2012. Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) observed the obituary in the newspaper on 5/24/2012 and contacted funeral home to retrieve the pacemaker. The funeral home still possessed the pacemaker as it was extracted before the patient was cremated. On 5/24/2012, the BMC Radiation Safety Officer retrieved the pacemaker. Radiation measurements of the pacemaker were less than 1 mR/hr near the surface and not detectable above background at 1 meter. Leak tests were also not detectable above background.
BMC registered the source with the DOE Off-Site Recovery Project (OSRP) to have it disposed. Category 3 sources, if not safely managed or securely protected, could cause permanent injury to a person who handled them, or were otherwise in contact with them, for some hours. It could possibly - although it is unlikely - be fatal to be close to this amount of unshielded radioactive material for a period of days to weeks. These sources are typically used in practices such as fixed industrial gauges involving high activity sources (for example: level gauges, dredger gauges, conveyor gauges and spinning pipe gauges) and well logging. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Berkshire Medical Center Pittsfield, Massachusetts (NRC Region 1) | |
| License number: | Sn-1439 |
| Organization: | Ma Radiation Control Program |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+2527.28 h105.303 days <br />15.043 weeks <br />3.462 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Michael P Whalen 11:17 Sep 6, 2012 |
| NRC Officer: | John Shoemaker |
| Last Updated: | Sep 6, 2012 |
| 48280 - NRC Website | |
Berkshire Medical Center with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 482802012-05-24T04:00:00024 May 2012 04:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Recovered Pacemaker ENS 426962004-04-20T04:00:00020 April 2004 04:00:00 Agreement State Agreement State Report - Lost Brachytherapy Seed 2012-05-24T04:00:00 | |