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| Discovered date | Reporting criterion | Title | Description | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 54627 | 31 March 2020 23:55:00 | Non | Notification of a Non-Emergency Unusual Event Due to a Seismic Event | The following is a summary of information received from the Washington State University Reactor Facility via phone conversation: At 1655 PDT on March 31, 2020, the licensee declared a Notification of Unusual Event due to seismic activity felt from an earthquake originating in southern Idaho. Operators felt the seismic activity and entered their emergency planning procedures to inspect for any damages to the reactor facility. There were no injured personnel and the reactor was shutdown at the time of the earthquake. Initial assessments revealed no damages or effects to the reactor or to the facility. Additional walk downs are in progress. The licensee notified the NRR Project Manager (Hardesty). | |
| ENS 53252 | 14 February 2018 08:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Leaking Source | The following was received via email from the state of Washington: On 2/15/2018, the RSO (Radiation Safety Officer) for WSU (Washington State University) contacted DOH (Washington State Department of Health) to report a leaking Cf-252 source. The source was received from University of Nevada - Reno and leak tested on arrival. The initial leak test found 0.0066 uCi of removable contamination. Because the amount of removable contamination detected was very close to the leak testing limit, WSU was asked to check their leak testing process and perform another test. On 2/27/2018, WSU confirmed that the source is in fact leaking and both tests provided the same result and that they are holding the leaking source for disposal. DOH is still awaiting further information on the source manufacturer and model number. More information will be provided in a follow-up report. WA Incident Number: WA-18-007 Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf | |
| ENS 51718 | 4 February 2016 08:00:00 | Agreement State | Agreement State Report - Leaking Ni-63 Sealed Source | The following information was provided by the State of Washington via email: Radiation Safety staff at WSU (Washington State University) discovered a GC ECD (Gas Chromatography - Electron Capture Detector) to be leaking during the semi annual sealed source leak test. The sealed source leak test revealed 0.00686 microCuries of removable contamination. The source was removed from the laboratory where it was stored in a box and immediately transferred to radioactive waste, pending disposal. The ECD had been stored in a box and had not been used for several years. Both the source location and the GC were surveyed to ensure contamination was not present. Survey results were well below regulatory limits. The source manufacturer/model number: Hewlett Packard model 5890A, serial number M2044. The sealed source contains 0.015 Ci of Ni-63. WA Incident Number: WA-16-005 | |
| ENS 44332 | 24 June 2008 07:00:00 | Agreement State | Washington Agreement State Report - Leaking Cs-137 Sealed Source | The following information was provided via email from the State of Washington: On June 26th, WSU reported that a Cesium-137 sealed source used to test operation of radiation detection instrumentation was found, by WSU staff, to be leaking. The source had recently been used at a WSU research facility. The staff noticed that two of the detectors were indicating higher than expected radiation readings after the source had been returned to storage. Subsequently, WSU staff found the radiation detection instrumentation they had been testing had become contaminated. The source appears to have been abraded during use. The source, an Isotope Products Lab, model not yet known, Serial Number 687-87-7 and its wooden storage box were taken out of service when the leak was discovered. The source and box are scheduled for disposal as radioactive waste. WSU staff are looking into the specific cause of the abrasion. WSU will then determine if additional corrective actions will be made to keep this from reoccurring. The licensee reported that surveys were performed in all areas where the source had been used and stored. Three WSU staff were found to have between 200 to 300 counts per minute of contamination on their fingers. WSU staff also found contamination levels of up to 300 counts per minute on a hand-rail and other associated equipment in the facility. Decontamination of the staff, areas and equipment was successfully performed. Notification Reporting Criteria: WAC 246-221-265, leaking source. Isotope and Activity involved: Cs-137 check source, 0.37 MBq (10 microcuries) as of February 1, 2000. Finger contamination was noted, but no overexposures should be realized. Washington State Report WA-08-046. |