| U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center Event Reports For
09/20/2007 - 09/21/2007 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
 | General Information or Other | Event Number: 43638 | Rep Org: IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Licensee: MIDWEST INDUSTRIAL X-RAY, INC
Region: 3
City: COUNCIL BLUFFS State: IA
County:
License #: IA-0075178IR1
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: RANDAL DAHLIN
HQ OPS Officer: JASON KOZAL | Notification Date: 09/13/2007
Notification Time: 13:41 [ET]
Event Date: 05/15/2007
Event Time: [CDT]
Last Update Date: 09/13/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
SONIA BURGESS (R3)
MICHELE BURGESS (FSME)
| Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - INABILITY TO RETRACT RADIOGRAPHY CAMERA SOURCE
The State provided the following information via email:
"The licensee reported the inability to retract an Ir-192 radiography source (model G-60, serial #OA2910) that contained an activity of 1.45 TBq (39.12 Ci) into a SPEC exposure device (model 150, serial #456). The radiographers had attached the guide tube to a ladder within a tank at the Absolute Energy Ethanol Plant located on the Iowa/Minnesota border. Halfway through a shot, a gust of wind blew the ladder over, which crimped the guide tube such that the source could not be retracted. The radiographers located the source in the guide tube and covered it with sandbags. The crimped guide tube was then reformed using a hammer and the source was successfully retracted. A new guide tube was shipped to the jobsite and the damaged guide tube was destroyed. The two radiographers received exposures of 1.1 and 1 mSv (110 and 100 mrem) from the incident. The licensee submitted a written report to the Iowa Department of Public Health on 6/13/2007, but failed to provide the required 24-hour notification. The State of Minnesota performed an audit of the licensee on 7/12/2007 and it was determined that the incident occurred in Iowa. The root cause of the incident is the failure to properly secure the ladder per company policy. Corrective actions taken by the licensee included terminating the lead radiographer involved and providing additional instruction to all radiographers on the policy to secure ladders used as guide tube stands."
Iowa report number: IA070002 |
| General Information or Other | Event Number: 43650 | Rep Org: MA RADIATION CONTROL PROGRAM
Licensee: HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Region: 1
City: CAMBRIDGE State: MA
County:
License #: 44-0002
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: ROBERT GALLAGHER
HQ OPS Officer: JOE O'HARA | Notification Date: 09/18/2007
Notification Time: 14:30 [ET]
Event Date: 08/30/2007
Event Time: [EDT]
Last Update Date: 09/18/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
AGREEMENT STATE
| Person (Organization):
PAUL KROHN (R1)
GREG MORELL (FSME)
|
| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. | Event Text AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - 23 MISSING TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS
Harvard University was replacing and recycling old exit signs. When workers arrived to remove the old exit signs and reprocess them, the signs could not be found. The licensee believes the exit signs may have went along with some old light bulbs that were being recycled. The licensee inspected the recycling chamber and found it free of contamination. Each sign originally contained 7.5 curies of Tritium. Decayed activity as of today is 93 curies. They initiated their investigation on August 30, 2007, and the investigation is on-going.
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 |
| Power Reactor | Event Number: 43653 | Facility: PERRY
Region: 3 State: OH
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-6
NRC Notified By: TOM STEC
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN | Notification Date: 09/20/2007
Notification Time: 14:46 [ET]
Event Date: 09/19/2007
Event Time: 15:25 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 09/20/2007 | Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(2)(xi) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATION
OTHER UNSPEC REQMNT
| Person (Organization):
HIRONORI PETERSON (R3)
|
| Unit | SCRAM Code | RX CRIT | Initial PWR | Initial RX Mode | Current PWR | Current RX Mode | | 1 | N | Y | 100 | Power Operation | 100 | Power Operation | Event Text OFFSITE NOTIFICATION OF UNKNOWN DISCHARGE AND 24 HOUR REPORT PER APPENDIX B OF OPERATING LICENSE
"[The information below concerns a] September 19, 2007 NPDES Reportable Occurrence verbiage/Notification to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. This notification was made on September 20, 2007.
"Time of discharge is unknown. Cloudy water was discovered in 'Major Stream' diversion (also referred to as 'Red Mill Run') at approximately 1525 hours on September 19, 2007.
"The amount of discharge is unknown. At the time of discovery, approximately 10 to 15 gallons of water, per minute, were observed discharging from the storm drain. On September 20, 2007, the observed discharge from the storm drain was approximately 1 to 2 gallons of water per minute.
"The pH of the stream was 11.2 standard units (SU) at 1650 hours on September 19, 2007 with white powdery deposition on the stream bed. At 1000 hours on September 20, 2007, a sample taken for pH indicated 8.48 SU.
"A number of small stressed fish were observed at time of discovery, along with approximately 5 to 10 small dead fish. No frogs, crayfish, or other local aquatic life forms were observed to have been negatively impacted.
"Initial analysis of the sediment from the stream bed indicated the main constituents were inorganic calcium & oxygen (possible materials include but not limited to calcium oxide, calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide).
"The source of the high pH and white sediment is unknown at this time and an investigation is in progress.
"The affected area [has been inspected] and recommendations for clean-up remediation [provided]. The recommendations are currently being evaluated."
"This event is being reported in accordance with Appendix B to the Operating License (The Environmental Protection Plan) which requires reporting of any occurrence of an unusual or important event that indicates or could result in significant environmental impact causally related to plant operation (An example includes 'fish kills').
"This event is also being reported in accordance with 10CFR50.72(b)(2)(xi). 'Any event or situation, related to the health and safety of the public or on-site personnel, or protection of the environment, for which a news release is planned or notification to other government agencies has been or will be made. Such an event may include an on-site facility or inadvertent release of radioactively contaminated materials'."
The NRC Resident Inspector and applicable State authorities have been notified. | |