Alert

The NRC is shutdown due to the lapse in appropriations. Exempted activities to maintain critical health and safety activities and progress on critical activities, including activities outlined in Executive Order 14300, as described in the OMB Approved NRC Lapse Plan will continue.

Event Notification Report for January 4, 2006

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
01/03/2006 - 01/04/2006

** EVENT NUMBERS **

42236

General Information or Other	Event Number: 42236
Rep Org: MA RADIATION CONTROL PROGRAM Licensee: CARDINAL HEALTH Region: 1 City: WOBURN State: MA County: License #: 42-0146 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: ROBERT GALLAGHER HQ OPS Officer: PETE SNYDER	Notification Date: 12/29/2005 Notification Time: 12:26 [ET] Event Date: 12/29/2005 Event Time: 11:45 [EST] Last Update Date: 12/29/2005
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): MARVIN SYKES (R1) SANDRA WASTLER (NMSS) THOMAS YATES (DOE) MS. JOHNSON DOT-NRC (DOT)

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - TRANSPORTATION ACCIDENT INVOLVING USED TECHNETIUM 99M SYRINGES

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts reported that there was a transportation accident on route 9 in Westborough, Massachusetts involving an overturned delivery truck returning used Technetium 99m medical diagnostic dose syringes. State police responded and closed the roadway. A hazardous materials team responded. A Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health Physicist also responded to the scene. Seven type A "ammo box" containers contained the used syringes. At least one of the boxes broke open.

The doses were supplied by Cardinal Health of Woburn, Massachusetts. Originally it was estimated that 56 millicuries of Tc-99m was involved. In an update to the original report, the Massachusetts official determined through interviewing the driver of the vehicle, that the dose syringes were used. The responders took surveys of the area and detected no readings above normal background radiation levels.

Local television news media responded to the scene.

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

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