Event Notification Report for August 06, 2007

REACTOR TRIP DUE TO SPURIOUS INTERLOCK SIGNAL TO FEEDWATER REGULATING VALVES

"This 4-hour notification is being made to report that Salem Unit 2 has experienced an automatic reactor trip. The trip was initiated by a low steam generator level on 22 SG (14 percent narrow range). The low steam generator level was apparently caused due to the feedwater regulating valve closing as a result of a spurious 'Feedwater interlock' signal. Post trip the following occurred: 21, 22, & 23 auxiliary feedwater pumps auto started after the trip due to valid steam generator low levels (14 percent) as expected on a unit trip. 23 Auxiliary feedwater pump [turbine driven] was tripped in accordance with the emergency operating procedure and will be returned to an operable condition following recovery of steam generator levels.

"Salem Unit 2 is currently in mode 3. Reactor coolant system pressure at 2235 psig and temperature is 547 degrees F with decay heat removal via the main steam dump system. Unit 2 has no active shutdown Tech Spec Action statements in effect.

" There was no major secondary equipment tagged for maintenance prior to the event."

On the reactor trip, all control rods fully inserted. No primary or secondary relief valves or safety valves lifted. The electric plant is in a normal shutdown lineup. This event had no effect on Unit 1.

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector. The licensee will notify the Lower Alloways Creek township, the State of NJ Bureau of Nuclear Engineering, and the State of Delaware. The licensee also plans on issuing a press release.

FIRE IN RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE FACILITY

"6 Aug 2007 there was a small fire at ANAD's [Anniston, AL Army Depot] radioactive storage warehouse building 86. During a security patrol they noticed smoke coming out of building 86 and sent out emergency notifications to Safety, Fire Department and later to HazMat. After the Fire Department arrived they sent out notification to contact the Radiation Safety Office (RSO) and to respond. Fire personnel forced the personnel door open and accessed the fire situation from the exterior of the building. The box pallet was smoldering approximately 10 feet from their door. Fire personnel remained at the door entrance and fought the fire from that location. At no time was any of the fire personnel put in jeopardy to be overly exposed to the radioactive waste which was being stored in the warehouse. The fire was extinguished with the very least amount of water, which reduced the spread of contamination to the unaffected part of the warehouse. The fire chief was in contact with the RSO during this operation until his arrival at approximately 7:40. The damage was two wooden box pallets which contained several tritium sources awaiting waste disposal. At this time [the licensee] is not sure exactly how many sources was involved, [estimate the number to around 100 sources] containing on average 10 Ci of tritium each were involved. Many did burst due to the heat thereby releasing the tritium it contained. Surveys to the fire personnel equipment showed no contamination. Personnel were given a bioassay the following day to insure no uptake of tritium gas. Because a small amount of water was used to extinguish the fire, the spread of tritium contamination to the sealed floor area is minimum. The initial survey levels found are in the 8,000-28,000 dpm range to the floor involving an area of 10'X10'.

"Cause of the fire was the result of some decon media (hydrogen peroxide) which had been sealed in a zip lock bag along with some paper towels. The hydrogen peroxide breaks down to pure oxygen and was sealed within a zip lock bag. Apparently there must have been a small amount of some oily residue also within the bag as part of the clean up process. As the oxygen content within the zip lock bag increased and interacted with the oil residue the bag begin to smolder causing the fire to start.

* * * UPDATE PROVIDED BY JEFFREY HAVENNER TO JEFF ROTTON AT 1644 EDT ON 08/07/07 * * *

"The local RSO performed an inventory of the contents of Bldg 86 this afternoon. He has calculated the total release of tritium to be 788 Ci [from 92 devices].

Notified R3DO (Riemer), R1DO (Summers) and FSME EO (McConnell)

NORTH CAROLINA AGREEMENT STATE - NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGIST SELF ADMINISTERED SPARE RADIONUCLIDES

The State provided the following information via facsimile:

"Incident description as reported to NCRP [North Carolina Radiation Protection]: Nuclear Medicine Technologist (NMT) working in the Lenoir, NC office of the Licensee performed a diagnostic cardiac imaging exam on himself. He administered himself with 39.4mCi Tc-99m Myoview for a stress test and followed it up with 11.6 mCi Tc-99m Myoview for the rest test. Both administrations occurred on 8/6/07 and were done without the Licensee's or an Authorized User's knowledge or consent; using a dose intended for a patient that did not show-up for their scheduled diagnostic cardiac imaging exam. The NMT 'read' the resulting diagnostic images and observed a cardiac problem, then apparently called the Licensee's office in Hickory to get a second opinion. The Nuc Med Supervisor (Located in the Hickory Office) was made aware of the administration at approximately 1530 on 8/6/07, and the RSO was notified at approximately 1800 on 8/7/07.

"The Licensee reported that the Lenoir office is attended by a single NMT assisted by a Nurse. The rest of the Lenoir office is a non-nuclear cardiology practice although there is an Authorized User (an MD) at that location. At the time of the administration the Authorized User was attending non-nuclear study patients and was not aware of the activities being performed by the NMT on himself. The NMT performed the stress part of this diagnostic administration with Nursing assistance. The licensee reported that the Nurse felt that the NMT was doing something wrong but assisted the treadmill portion of the stress test for safety reasons. Sometime during this span of time the Authorized User at the Lenoir office went to the Hickory office to attend patients and was at that office when the NMT called and reported what he had done.

"NCRPS actions:
(1) requested a complete written report with statements from all individuals involved from the Licensee, which will be evaluated;
(2) report to NRC Op Center in case this turns out to be immediately reportable;
(3) consider follow-up inspection/incident investigation;
(4) possible escalated enforcement actions to be determined."

NC Incident # 07-41

MISPLACED I-125 SEED SHIPPED TO MEDICAL CENTER

Pottstown Memorial Medical Center asked Core Oncology Mills to ship seventy six (76) I-125 seeds (0.345 mCi each), and one of those 76 would be used for calibration. Core Oncology Mills shipped seventy seven (77) thinking that Pottstown Memorial Medical Center requested 76 seeds plus one for calibration. On 07/17/07, the shipment arrived from Core Oncology Mills which contained 76 seeds plus one seed in a separate package in a different location from the 76 seeds. Pottstown Memorial Medical Center looked for 76 seeds, which they counted, and believed this was all the seeds in the shipping package. When Pottstown Memorial Medical Center realized there were 77 seeds in the shipment, they looked for the missing seed, and reported it could not be found.

THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

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.

This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source