Event Notification Report for March 19, 2020

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
3/18/2020 - 3/19/2020

** EVENT NUMBERS **

!!!!! THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED.THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RETRACTED !!!!!
Power Reactor	Event Number: 54320
Facility: FARLEY Region: 2 State: AL Unit: [1] [] [] RX Type: [1] W-3-LP,[2] W-3-LP NRC Notified By: WILLIAM SORRELL HQ OPS Officer: BETHANY CECERE	Notification Date: 10/10/2019 Notification Time: 02:17 [ET] Event Date: 10/09/2019 Event Time: 23:40 [CDT] Last Update Date: 03/18/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(3)(xii) - OFFSITE MEDICAL	Person (Organization): EUGENE GUTHRIE (R2DO) CHRIS MILLER (NRR EO) SILAS KENNEDY (IRD)

Unit

SCRAM Code

RX Crit

Initial PWR

Initial RX Mode

Current PWR

Current RX Mode

Defueled

Event Text

EN Revision Imported Date : 3/19/2020

EN Revision Text: POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED INDIVIDUAL TRANSPORTED TO AN OFFSITE MEDICAL FACILITY

"At 2340 CDT, on October 09, 2019, a site contractor was transported offsite for treatment at an offsite medical facility. Due to the nature of the medical emergency, the individual was not thoroughly surveyed prior to being transported offsite. This is an eight-hour notification, non-emergency for the transportation of a contaminated person offsite. This event is reportable in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(xii).

"Following the individual being transported offsite, but prior to the individual arriving at the offsite medical facility, the individual was confirmed to not be contaminated. This occurred at approximately 2350 CDT, on October 09, 2019.

"The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified."

* * * RETRACTION ON 3/18/2020 AT 1350 EST FROM RICHARD LENGFORD TO BRIAN LIN * * *

"Farley Nuclear Plant is retracting this notification based on the information available at the time of the notification: Health Physics personnel had completed surveys that determined that the contract worker, ambulance, and responders were free of contamination prior to reaching the hospital. The initial report was made to alert the NRC based on the individual being potentially contaminated due to radioactive surveying being deferred to support prompt medical attention. Based on the subsequent determination that the individual was not contaminated the reporting requirements of 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(xii) are not met and this event report is being retracted.

"The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified."

Notified R2DO (Miller).

Agreement State	Event Number: 54578
Rep Org: UTAH DIVISION OF RADIATION CONTROL Licensee: NORTHERN UTAH HEALTHCARE CORP DBA COLUMBIA ST MARKS HOSPITAL Region: 4 City: SALT LAKE State: UT County: License #: UT 1800253 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: PHILIP GRIFFIN HQ OPS Officer: SILAS KENNEDY	Notification Date: 03/10/2020 Notification Time: 16:13 [ET] Event Date: 03/09/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [MDT] Last Update Date: 03/10/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): DAVID PROULX (R4DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) ILTAB (EMAIL)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST IODINE-125 SEED

The following information was received from the state of Utah via email:

"Late in the evening on March 9, 2020, an individual in the pathology lab was examining an excised tissue sample that contained one 286 microCurie Iodine-125 seed used in a radioactive seed localization procedure. During the examination, the seed fell out of the tissue sample and went down the sink drain. The individual blocked off the drain, and the licensee waited until the morning of the 10th to remove the sink's p-trap to look for the seed. The licensee was unable to locate the seed, and assumes that the seed is lost. The Division [Utah Division of Radiation Control] will be performing an on-site investigation soon."

Utah Report ID number: UT200002

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

Agreement State	Event Number: 54579
Rep Org: TEXAS DEPT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES Licensee: BAYPORT POLYMERS LLC Region: 4 City: PASADENA State: TX County: License #: LL06922-000 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: RANDALL REDD HQ OPS Officer: SILAS KENNEDY	Notification Date: 03/10/2020 Notification Time: 18:21 [ET] Event Date: 03/10/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [CDT] Last Update Date: 03/10/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): DAVID PROULX (R4DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK OPEN SHUTTER

The following information was received from the state of Texas via email:

"On 10 March, 2020, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] was notified of a gauge with a stuck shutter in the open position. The gauge is a Berthold Model LB7440L with a 5 mCi Cs-137 source with serial 186-1-88. This gauge normally operates with the shutter in the open position. There is no increased risk of exposure to any individual. An investigation into this event is ongoing."

Texas Incident #: 9750

Agreement State	Event Number: 54580
Rep Org: UTAH DIVISION OF RADIATION CONTROL Licensee: LANDMARK TESTING & ENGINEERING, INC (LANDMARK) Region: 4 City: LA VERKIN State: UT County: License #: UT 2700428 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: GWYN GALLOWAY HQ OPS Officer: SILAS KENNEDY	Notification Date: 03/10/2020 Notification Time: 22:51 [ET] Event Date: 03/10/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [MDT] Last Update Date: 03/10/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): DAVID PROULX (R4DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) ILTAB (EMAIL)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST AND FOUND TROXLER MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE

The following information was received from the state of Utah via email:

"On March 10, 2020, a member of the public was traveling on the road at about 500 North State Street in La Verkin, Utah. The individual saw a Troxler gauge (Model 3430) sitting in the middle of the road. He stopped picked it up and placed it in his truck. The gauge was not in a transport case, but the source rod was locked in the safe position, the individual took a couple of pictures of the gauge. The individual must have been familiar with portable gauges because he contacted an Engineering and Testing Company (Geotechnical Testing Services UT [GTS] 2700439) located in St. George. This licensee did not own the gauge, but told the individual to place the gauge in a secure location and stay away from it. GTS contacted the Division's [Utah Division of Radiation Control] emergency line to report that a gauge was found even though it was not theirs. This report was made at about 5:20 PM [MDT].

"There is another engineering company (Landmark Testing & Engineering, Inc. UT 2700428) in St George. The individual from GTS contacted an individual they knew who worked for Landmark Testing.

"The Duty Officer manning the emergency line made contact with the Section Manager for the Radioactive Materials Section at about 6:25 PM and informed him of the report. The Section Manager contacted the GTS personnel at about 6:36 PM to interview him about the particulars of the report. The information was relayed to the Section Manager. In addition, the GTS personnel informed the Section Manager that the gauge belonged to Landmark Testing & Engineering and that they were on their way to pick up the gauge. In addition, the GTS personnel were able to send a couple of pictures of the gauge that showed the casing on the gauge was cracked near the source handle and the casing was slightly separated in the front from the base of the gauge. The model (3430) and serial number (26770) were visible in the photos.

"The Section Manager contacted a staff member at about 6:52 PM, so that a report could be made to NRC. He had tried to contact the member of the public who had located the gauge, but had been unable to reach him.

"At the time of this report, the licensee (Landmark) had not reported the missing/found gauge to the Division. Further investigation of this matter will be conducted by the Division [Utah Division of Radiation Control] tomorrow. An update will be sent when more information is gathered."

Troxler gauges nominally contain 8 mCi of Cs-137 and 40 mCi of Am/Be.

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

Agreement State	Event Number: 54581
Rep Org: SC DEPT OF HEALTH & ENV CONTROL Licensee: ECS SOUTHEAST, LLP Region: 1 City: LITTLE RIVER State: SC County: License #: 958 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: JIM PETERSON HQ OPS Officer: BRIAN LIN	Notification Date: 03/11/2020 Notification Time: 11:48 [ET] Event Date: 03/11/2020 Event Time: 08:15 [EDT] Last Update Date: 03/11/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): PATRICK FINNEY (R1DO) ILTAB (EMAIL) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STOLEN GAUGE

The following information was received from the state of South Carolina via email:

"On March 11, 2020, the Department [South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC)] was notified by the licensee at approximately 0815 [EDT] that a portable gauging device had been stolen from the licensee's storage location at 19 Highway 90 East, Little River. The gauging device is an Instrotek Model 3500 [moisture density gauge], serial number 722. This device contains 10 milliCuries of Cs-137 and 40 milliCuries of Am-241:Be. The licensee stated that the theft has been reported to local law enforcement. SCDHEC has notified the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Fusion Center."

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

Agreement State	Event Number: 54582
Rep Org: NEW YORK STATE DEPT. OF HEALTH Licensee: ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE CORP Region: 1 City: BUFFALO State: NY County: License #: 2923 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: DANIEL SAMSON HQ OPS Officer: SILAS KENNEDY	Notification Date: 03/11/2020 Notification Time: 16:38 [ET] Event Date: 01/27/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [EDT] Last Update Date: 03/11/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): PATRICK FINNEY (R1DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) ILTAB (EMAIL)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MISSING IODINE-125 SEED

The following information was received from the state of New York via email:

"On February 13, 2020, the Department [New York State Department of Health] was notified of a missing I-125 localization seed (Activity: approximately 252 microCuries) at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York."

"An l-125 localization seed was removed from a patient, along with a specimen, in a procedure that took place on January 27, 2020. The seed and specimen are believed to have been delivered to the facility's Pathology Department. The RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] was informed of the missing seed on February 10, 2020. Currently, the facility is trying to locate the missing seed. Updates will be provided as they become available."

New York Event Report ID No. NYDOH-20-01

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

Agreement State	Event Number: 54583
Rep Org: FLORIDA BUREAU OF RADIATION CONTROL Licensee: ST. JOSEPH'S DIAGNOSTIC CENTER, LLC Region: 1 City: TAMPA State: FL County: License #: 1889-1 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: MATTHEW G. SENISON HQ OPS Officer: SILAS KENNEDY	Notification Date: 03/11/2020 Notification Time: 18:48 [ET] Event Date: 02/03/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [EDT] Last Update Date: 03/11/2020
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): PATRICK FINNEY (R1DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) ILTAB (EMAIL)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOSS OF CONTROL OF A Cs-137 SOURCE

The following information was received from the state of Florida via email:

"St. Joseph's called the BRC [Bureau of Radiation Control] to notify that a source was unintentionally removed from their facility. They had contracted with North American Philips to trade in an old PET/CT Scanner and replace it with a new one. The licensee had cleared and reserved the room for the contractor to work in for a week. The old scanner had a sealed Cs-137 calibration source inside [16.57 milliCuries], and when the contractor removed it, they did not remove the source and leave it with the licensee as was agreed. The contractor notified the licensee when they realized they had possession of the source. The source is now at the North American Philips site in Nashville, TN. The new PET/CT will not have the referenced source; North American Philips has offered to dispose of it through Bionomics. The licensee has expressed willingness to proceed with that option rather than have the source returned. Since the contractor, rather than the licensee, misappropriated the source, an on-site visit from an inspector is not requested at this time."

Florida Incident Number: FL20-034

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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, March 24, 2021