PNO-III-97-009, on 970221,contaminated Scrap Metal Occurred. Licensee Also Indicated Addl Scrap Metal Located at Il Railroad Supply Co in Cordova,Il.Nrc Inspectors Monitored Licensee Activities Surrounding Incident

PNO-III-97-009:on 970221,contaminated Scrap Metal Occurred. Licensee Also Indicated Addl Scrap Metal Located at Il Railroad Supply Co in Cordova,Il.Nrc Inspectors Monitored Licensee Activities Surrounding Incident

ML20138L852
Person / Time
Site:	Quad Cities
Issue date:	02/24/1997
From:	Kozak T, Steven Orth NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III)
To:
References
PNO-III-97-009, PNO-III-97-9, NUDOCS 9702250137
Download: ML20138L852 (2)

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February 24, 1997  ;

PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-III-97-009 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE

safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially )

received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is i j known by Region III staff (Lisle, Illinois) on this date. 4 i ,

4 Facility Licensee Emergency Classification

' Commonwealth Edison Co. Notification of Unusual Event  !

Quad Cities 1 2 Alert Cordova, Illinois  :

Site Area Emergency  !

Dockets: 50-254,50-265 General Emergency X Not Applicable j

Subject:

h CONTAMINATED SCRAP. METAL i On February 21, 1997, the licensee notified the NRC Region III (Chicago) that scrap metal had set off a radiation detector at the North Star Steel Company in Wilton, Iowa. The licensee also indicated that additional scrap metal had been located at the Illinois Railroad Supply Company in Cordova, Illinois.

The licensee dispatched radiation protection personnel to Illinois ,

Railroad Supply Company and identified a six-inch-by-eight-inch metal l plate having fixed contamination of 500,000 disintegrations per minute l and exhibiting dose rates of 3.5 millirem per hour on contact. A cloth l wipe over the entire surface of the metal piece revealed loose surface  :

contamination of 1,000 disintegrations per minute. The licensee also dispatched radiation protection personnel to North Star and identified a  ;

second metal plate which was similarly contaminated. The licensee's  ;

survey of the surrounding areas indicated that there was no spread of  ;

radioactive contamination from the materials. Radiation dose to personnel J from this material is estimated to be significantly less than one  !

millirem. The licensee took control and possession of both plates. l During the fall of 1996, the licensee delivered eight railroad cars to  !

the Illinois Railroad Supply Company for salvage. Prior to their delivery, the railroad cars were stored on the licensee's site. Based on their location and the lack of potential for radioactive contamination, the licensee dispatched the railroad cars without performing comprehensive surveys.

During the week of February 10 - 14, 1997. Illinois Railroad Supply Company dismantled the railroad cars. As the cars were dismantled, individuals noticed two metal plates embedded on the top of the roof of one of the railroad cars and separated the pieces for scrap metal recovery. On February 20, 1997, the Illinois Supply Company shipped secticns of the components to North Star for salvage, including one of the metal plates. At North Star. the shipment alarmed the company's \

radiation detectors. \A t

9702250137 970224 \

PDR I&E PNO-III-97-OO9 PDR 4 ?5n119

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I PNO-III-97-009 '

NRC inspectors monitored the licensee's activities surrounding this

, incident.

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• The States of Illinois and Iowa have been notified. The information in  !

this preliminary notification has been reviewed with licensee management. 1 NRC Region III was notified of the event at 10:00 a.m. (CST) on February 21, 1997. This information is current as of 4:00 p.m. (CST) on February

21. 1997.

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Contact:

STEVEN ORTH TOM K0ZAK (630)829-9827 (630)829-9866 l

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