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U . S. -NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Time: 1245 - 2:30 pm TELEPHONE CONVERSATION RECO RD
Date: 7-20-07
Mail Control N/a License No(s). 37-001 18-07 or ReDort No(s l
Docket No(s). 030-35424
Name of Licensee: University if Pennsylvania
Name of Participant(s): Scott Wilson, BRH of PA; Tom Lenovich, Stericycle of Morgantown, PA; Keith Brown, University of Pennsylvania; Jerry Dworsak, BRH of PA
Telephone No. 71 7-705-4891, 61 0-286-6996, 21 5-898-21 06, 71 7-705-4953
Subject: Waste monitor alarm at Stericylce facility in Morgantown, PA (NOTE: This will be used as the Documents Title in ADAMS)
Summary: Mr. Wilson called to report that Stericycle in Morgantown, PA had received numerous boxes of medical waste from Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia (CHOP) containing 1-1 31. Mr. Lenovich’s surveys of the boxes indicated readings of 5 mWhour on contact.
Dr. Brown contacted and provided the following additional information: 1. A child was treated for pain management at CHOP on July 12, 2007, with 35.2 millicuries of 1-131 MIBG. The child was released for radioactive purposes under 10 CFR 35.75, but was admitted to the hospital for other medical reasons. As a precaution, the University of Pennsylvania radiation safety office placed radioactive waste boxes in the patient’s room and intended to collect any radioactive waste from the patient.
2. On 7-16-07, Stericycle contacted Dr. Brown to report a waste alarm near their background readings. Dr. Brown investigated and determined that no high activity 1-131 MIBG treatments and no iodine therapies were conducted the previous week. For the child treated on 7-12-07, the licensee found that the radioactive waste boxes had inadvertently been removed from the room and most likely disposed as non-radioactive medical waste.
3. Monitors are located at the loading dock for CHOP and should have alarmed. However, since there is construction at CHOP, it is unclear whether the waste was passed by the detectors.
Page 1 Rev. 05/02/06 Document Name : P: \SEC\LERs\Chop . wpd
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4. The University of Pennsylvania has received subsequent notifications from Stericycle on 7-18 or 7-19 and on 7-20-07. The University of Pennsylvania would like to receive the waste back, either by picking up the waste themselves or by having Stericycle ship it back. However, discussions with the State of PA staff have so far indicated that they will not issue the necessary exemptions to ship the waste back.
Mr. Wilson and Mr. Lenovich contacted to discuss options. Mr. Wilson indicated that the readings were 0.5 mwhour instead of 5 mRlhour on contact to the waste and probably much less in the cab. Mr. Lenovich indicated that the waste is loaded and ready to go back to the University. Mr. Wilson reviewed the State of PA’s exemption form to allow the medical waste processor to ship the radioactive waste back and ultimately issued the exemption. Mr. Lenovich confirmed receipt of the form and notified the University staff of the transport.
Notify Branch Chief and create LER Action Required:
Document Availability: x Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available
X Non-Sensitive Non-Sensitive Copyright Sensitive Sensitive Copyright
Immediate Release X Normal Release Delay Release Date
- - - -
Prepared 8, SUNS1 Review Completed By: P. Lanzisera I RAI Date: 7-20-07
Page 2 Rev. 05/02/06 Document Name:P:\SEC\LERs\Chop .wpd
FROM : DEP-SC-REG I ON-ENU-CLEANUP-PROG PHONE NO. : 7177854151 Jul. 12 2807 81:48PM P1
FROM : DEP-SC-REGION-ENU-CLERNUP-PROG PHONE NO. : 7177054151 J u l . 12 2887 01:48PM P2
PA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION SOUTHCENTRAL REGION 909 ELMERTON AVENUE
HARRISBURG PA 17110 - 8200
DATE:
Message:
PAGE # (including cover page)
FROM : DEP-SC-REG I ON-ENU-CLERNUP-PROG PHONE NO. 7177054151 87/2u/2aM 1 19: b!lL BlUISpIUUA Y I u, I I-' ,c , - -. I J u l . 12 2007 01:41PM P3
FROM : DEP-SC-REGION-ENU-CLEANUP_PROG PHONE NO. : 7177054151 W / ) & V / L U U I & Y . U l - Y L V L U V I Y . . J u l .
Page 9
12 2007 01:41PM P4
o m UCPU , e , e , Q t
From: To: Penny Lanzisera <[email protected]> Date: 07/23/2007 11 :57:25 AM Subject: Re: Contact Information
Keith Brown < keith@e hrs.u penn .edu>
Hi Penny,
I do not have anything terribly unexpected to report. I checked the hottest containers with our Exploranium, and confirmed Stericycle's isotope identification. The surface levels they reported, too, were off by only about ten percent or so. I calculate that the hottest boxes contain in the neighborhood of 50 to 70 microcuries.
I still must conclude that the waste came from a releasable patient (the one I referred to previously), owing to the complete lack of other possible sources. Were it one or two containers slightly hot, it could have come from, for example, a nurse or loading dock worker who had a hyperthyroid treatment. That is not likely in this circumstance. Given the activities involved, the containers must contain vomitus or some other such thing. We are very fortunate that our two in-house MlBGs canceled last week. No matter how well we controlled those rooms, it would have been difficult to prove that the iodine had not come from them. I will note, to defend us, that in the six years I have been here we do not believe we have ever had iodine from one of our controlled patients leave the facility without proper decay.
While we may not be required to do anything in response to this incident, clearly we want to avoid another. We burned too much staff time on this last week, as did Stericycle. I do not think there was any reasonable chance of someone getting 100 mrem from this waste and would prefer to devote staff time to the activities here that could result in significant dose. We have begun and will be continuing to investigate exactly how this activity went to Stericycle. Given that I have had years here with no such problems, I am hopeful that we will be able to keep similar calls off your phone for a while.
Keith
Penny Lanzisera wrote:
>Have a good weekend. I will touch base with you late Monday to see if >you received something back drastically different from expected.
>Penny >
> > > >>>>Keith Brown <[email protected]> 07/20/2007 2:04 PM >>> >>>> >>>> >Hi again,
>Thank you for your help. I just heard from Stericycle. >
> >If you need to contact me for the rest of the day, please call my cell > >at 21 5-651 -0541.
>Keith >
> > >
I am not going to be near my desk phone.
Keith Brown, Ph.D., C.H.P. Medical Health Physicist Environmental Health and Radiation Safety University of Pennsylvania
[email protected] 21 5-898-21 06
. Mail Envelope Properties (46A4CFBA.B9 1 : 15 : 15249)
Subject: Re: Contact Information Creation Date From: Keith Brown <[email protected]>
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Created By: [email protected]
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