The following information was received from the
Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via E-mail:
On January 26, 2022, the Agency was contacted by the licensee to report they had received an exposure report from its dosimetry processor and one of its employees had received 59.052 rem for December 2021. The licensee believes the exposure is to the badge only. The individual performed duties involving the preparation of iodine-131 therapy pills. The individual involved with the exposure had never received an exposure anywhere near this high in the past.
The licensee reported the individual was involved in a spill during the preparation of a pill and the licensee believes the badge became contaminated during the spill cleanup. The licensee stated they do not survey the dosimetry prior to sending them to their processor. The license stated the employee wore the badge from December 5, 2021 until December 16, 2021 when they left employment at the licensee's facility. The Agency requested additional information on the event.
On March 8, 2022, the Agency received the responses to the Agency's request from the licensee. In the response the licensee stated that the spill did restrict access to the area for more than 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br />. The licensee stated its investigation determined the exposure recorded on the badge was a result of the badge becoming contaminated during the spill cleanup. The licensee also stated the dose assigned to the individual was 1.385 rem based on previous months exposures. The licensee stated the individual's workload had not changed compared to previous months. Additional information has been requested by the Agency. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300.
Texas Incident Number: 9911