Event Notification Report for January 23, 2025

EN Revision Imported Date: 2/20/2025

EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST THEN FOUND RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL SHIPMENT

The following information was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email:

"Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) in Millburn, New Jersey, reported that a shipment of Lu-177 radiopharmaceutical was lost and subsequently recovered en route to another AAA facility in Indianapolis. The package was found on the side of the road near the Pittsburgh airport. A common carrier driver noticed it and called the police, who then called a local hazmat team to make sure it was safe. The hazmat team subsequently called the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC), who proceeded to give it to another common carrier at the Pittsburgh airport because they thought they were the courier by mistake. CHEMTREC notified AAA, who confirmed the package as their own, and sent one of their couriers to retrieve it. The courier returned the shipment back to AAA's facility in Millburn."

The activity of the Lu-177 was not provided in the initial report, but it was identified as being less than IAEA category 2.


* * * UPDATE ON 02/20/25 AT 1148 EST FROM K.J. KARAUSKY TO JOSUE RAMIREZ * * *

The following information was provided by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email:

"According to the licensee's report, the radioactive-labeled package containing 460 mCi of Lu-177 was displaced from the private courier's vehicle when the driver stopped to rearrange some packages. Police found the package on the side of the road who contacted Advanced Accelerator Applications, and the package was returned to the licensee the same day. The package remained intact and was [reading] <0.5 mR/hr on contact and consistent with background at 1 meter. There was no suspected exposure to members of the public.

"To avoid these incidents in the future, vehicles and package storage will be standardized, permissions must be requested before handling packages, and drivers will be retrained.

"This incident is now closed."

Notified R1DO (Deboer) and NMSS Events (email).

New Jersey Incident Number: C933984

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 REPORT - MEDICAL EVENT

The following information was provided by the licensee via email:

"As part of the MaineHealth annual physics review of the nuclear medicine program, the radiation safety officer discovered a written directive for an I-131 administration where the prescribed activity was 15 mCi and the administered activity was 18 mCi. They reported this as a medical event under Maine rules, part G.3045.A(1)(a)(ii) because the total dosage delivered differed by 20 percent from the prescribed dosage (10 CFR 35.3045(a)(1)(i)). The full report is pending, 15 days to NMED."

Maine Event Report Number: ME 25-001

A Medical Event may indicate potential problems in a medical facility's use of radioactive materials. It does not necessarily result in harm to the patient.

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK OPEN SHUTTER

The following information was provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Department) via phone and email:

"On January 24, 2025, the Department was notified by the licensee that on January 23, 2025, the shutter on two Vega model SH-F2B gauges were found stuck in the open position during routine testing. Both gauges contain a 200 millicurie (original activity) cesium-137 source. The licensee reported there is no risk of additional radiation exposure to members of the general public or radiation workers due to this mechanism failure. The licensee is in the process of scheduling a source holder service contractor to evaluate and attempt repairs to the source holders. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300."

Texas Incident Number: I-10157
Texas NMED Number: TX250004

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK OPEN SHUTTER

The following information was provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Department) via phone and email:

"On January 24, 2025, the Department was notified by the licensee that on January 23, 2025, the shutters on two Vega model SH-F2B, and one Vega model SH-F2 gauges failed in the open position during routine testing. Both SH-F2B gauges contain a 300 millicurie (original activity) cesium-137 source. The Vega SH-F2 gauge contains a 3 millicurie (original activity) cesium-137 source. The licensee reported there is no risk of additional radiation exposure to members of the general public or radiation workers due to this mechanism failure. The licensee is in the process of scheduling a source holder service contractor to evaluate and attempt repairs to the source holders. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300."

Texas Incident Number: I-10158
Texas NMED Number: TX250005

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST THEN FOUND SOURCE

The following information was provided by the New Jersey Radiation Protection And Release Prevention Program (NJDEP) via email:

"On 1/23/2025, the Bureau of Environmental Radiation was notified that a load of municipal solid waste was rejected at a landfill in Dunmore, PA for triggering radiation alarms. The waste was originally hauled by JP Mascaro in Mt. Olive, NJ. A maximum exposure rate on contact with the truck of 4.7 mrem/hr was observed. A Department of Transportation special permit was issued to permit the load to return to JP Mascaro.

"On 1/31/2025, NJDEP was notified via email by JP Mascaro that the load had been sorted, and a package containing a shipment of 1.54 Ci of I-131 was identified. This was a shipment from a radiopharmacy in Quebec, Canada bound for Nuclear Diagnostic Products (NDP). According to tracking information provided by the common carrier, the package arrived successfully at the facility in Budd Lake, NJ, and was marked as out for delivery before it went missing.

"On 2/3/2025, NJDEP contacted NDP to alert them of the missing package. NDP agreed that one of their private couriers would retrieve the package from JP Mascaro."



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