The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is in the process of rescinding or revising guidance and policies posted on this webpage in accordance with Executive Order 14151 Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and Executive Order 14168 Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. In the interim, any previously issued diversity, equity, inclusion, or gender-related guidance on this webpage should be considered rescinded that is inconsistent with these Executive Orders.

Event Notification Report for July 15, 2003






                    U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

                              Operations Center



                              Event Reports For

                           07/14/2003 - 07/15/2003



                              ** EVENT NUMBERS **



39989  39994  





+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|General Information or Other                     |Event Number:   39989       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| REP ORG:  LOUISIANA RADIATION PROTECTION DIV   |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/10/2003|

|LICENSEE:  MONSANTO CHEMICAL PLANT              |NOTIFICATION TIME: 18:55[EDT]|

|    CITY:  LULING                   REGION:  4  |EVENT DATE:        06/29/2003|

|  COUNTY:                            STATE:  LA |EVENT TIME:             [CDT]|

|LICENSE#:  LA-2216-L01           AGREEMENT:  Y  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/11/2003|

|  DOCKET:                                       |+----------------------------+

|                                                |PERSON          ORGANIZATION |

|                                                |KRISS KENNEDY        R4      |

|                                                |SUSAN FRANT          NMSS    |

+------------------------------------------------+TIM MCGINTY          IRO     |

| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  MIKE HENRY                   |                             |

|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  BILL GOTT                    |                             |

+------------------------------------------------+                             |

|EMERGENCY CLASS:          NON EMERGENCY         |                             |

|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |

|NAGR                     AGREEMENT STATE        |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



                                   EVENT TEXT                                   

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| PERSONNEL OVEREXPOSURE                                                       |

|                                                                              |

| Mike Henry from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality reported   |

| the potential personnel over-exposure due to a loss of control of a 1 Curie  |

| Cesium-137 source that came out of a damaged Berthold level gauge (Model #   |

| LB7442).  The event occurred at the Monsanto Chemical Plant in Luling, LA.   |

| The gauge was damaged on 06/29/03 causing the source to come out of its      |

| shield.  The source was then carried to a planner's desk where it remained   |

| until discovery on 07/10/03.  The owner of the desk spent approximately 50   |

| to 60 hours in the proximity of his desk during this time.  When the source  |

| was discovered, the building was evacuated and secured.  Medical personnel   |

| at Monsanto have contacted the Radiological Emergency Assistance Center, Oak |

| Ridge, TN.  Preliminarily, the licensee estimates that the planner may have  |

| received a whole body dose of 25 Rem and the person that carried the source  |

| may have received 1800 Rem to the hand.  Others may have also been exposed.  |

| No one has shown signs of sickness or erythema (redness of the skin).  A     |

| Berthold representative is scheduled to arrive on 07/11/03 to secure the     |

| source.  Mr. Henry will be traveling to the site to obtain additional        |

| information.  The State is not requesting NRC assistance at this time.       |

|                                                                              |

| A Commissioners' Assistants brief was held at 1900 EDT 07/10/03.             |

|                                                                              |

| * * * * UPDATE FROM MIKE HENRY TO NRC CONFERENCE CALL 1620 EDT ON 07/11/03   |

| * * * *                                                                      |

|                                                                              |

| Mr. Henry provided the following information based on his visit to the       |

| Monsanto plant this morning, 07/11/03.  A manufacturer's representative for  |

| Berthold arrived at the plant and retrieved the source around 0300 CDT       |

| 07/11/03.  Currently the source is in a shielded pig at the plant site.      |

|                                                                              |

| Blood tests were performed for seven individuals which were favorable with   |

| no cell changes noted.  These blood tests will be repeated periodically.  It |

| was determined that the planner who returned after days off to occupy the    |

| desk where the source had been previously left received 39.1 Rem over the    |

| calculated 44.7 hours that he occupied the desk during the 10-day period     |

| involved.  This determination was based on an analysis of his schedule and   |

| work habits and on the emissivity of the source.  Further dose calculations  |

| will be made.  The Monsanto company physician is in contact with REAC        |

| (Radiological Emergency Assistance Center) in Oak Ridge, TN and has          |

| requested their assistance in having a cytogenetic blood study performed for |

| the planner.                                                                 |

|                                                                              |

| Preliminarily, it appears that vibration of the centrifuge unit upon which   |

| the gauge was mounted may have caused a failure which allowed the source     |

| holder with attached source to fall from the gauge.  Surveys of the relevant |

| areas and smears taken on the source indicate that no source leakage         |

| occurred.                                                                    |

|                                                                              |

| Notified R4DO (K. Kennedy), NMSS EO (S. Frant)                               |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+



+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

|Power Reactor                                    |Event Number:   39994       |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| FACILITY: FERMI                    REGION:  3  |NOTIFICATION DATE: 07/14/2003|

|    UNIT:  [2] [] []                 STATE:  MI |NOTIFICATION TIME: 01:57[EDT]|

|   RXTYPE: [2] GE-4                             |EVENT DATE:        07/13/2003|

+------------------------------------------------+EVENT TIME:        22:00[EDT]|

| NRC NOTIFIED BY:  HARRY GILES                  |LAST UPDATE DATE:  07/14/2003|

|  HQ OPS OFFICER:  RICH LAURA                   +-----------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------+PERSON          ORGANIZATION |

|EMERGENCY CLASS:          NON EMERGENCY         |MARK RING            R3      |

|10 CFR SECTION:                                 |                             |

|AIND 50.72(b)(3)(v)(D)   ACCIDENT MITIGATION    |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

|                                                |                             |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|UNIT |SCRAM CODE|RX CRIT|INIT PWR|   INIT RX MODE  |CURR PWR|  CURR RX MODE   |

+-----+----------+-------+--------+-----------------+--------+-----------------+

|2     N          Y       100      Power Operation  |100      Power Operation  |

|                                                   |                          |

|                                                   |                          |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

                                   EVENT TEXT                                   

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| HPCI SYSTEM INOPERABLE AT FERMI 2                                            |

|                                                                              |

| "On 7/13/2003 at 2200 hours, while performing the HPCI Pump Time Response    |

| and Operability Test, the HPCI main steam supply outboard containment        |

| isolation valve, E4150F003, failed to close. The E4150F003 was declared      |

| inoperable and the HPCI main steam supply inboard containment isolation      |

| valve, E4150F002, was closed and de-activated per Technical Specifications.  |

| Isolating the HPCI main steam supply rendered HPCI inoperable. The E4150F003 |

| the was documented per the site corrective action process. All other ECCS    |

| equipment and RCIC are operable. This is being reported under                |

| 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v)(D)."                                                     |

|                                                                              |

| The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.  The licensee entered the  |

| applicable 14 day LCO for the HPCI system inoperability and initiated        |

| maintenance troubleshooting.                                                 |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+





                    

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, March 25, 2021