Re: Man Sentenced in radioactive Poisoning Case

["George Andrews" <mauser2@erols.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Franz Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2000 5:50 PM
Subject: RE: Man Sentenced in radioactive Poisoning Case


> At 14:59 11.01.2000 -0600, you wrote:
> >My comment:  If Franz knows a way to prevent the deliberate, calculated
> >theft of radioactive materials by an employee of the licensee, I would
> >really appreciate it if he could share the idea with us.  When an
employee
> >has access to the material and then deliberately decides to misuse the
> >material, how does one prevent this?  Deliberate theft is an impossible
> >situation to control.  If Franz has the answer, he should go into the
> >security business - he would make a fortune.  I truly await your answer
> >Franz.
>
> Dear Larry,
>
> Yes, I have an answer - from my own practice, but I do not think that I
> will make any money with it. I offer you a 50:50 share when you market
it....
>
> To be more serious: I have yesterday started my new work in a ministry in
> Austria, but until recently I have worked for more than 20 years as head
of
> a radiochemistry laboratory, where we had a large selection of
> radionuclides, radioactive standards, hazardous chemicals and extremely
> poisonous chemicals. All radioactive material was - as the Austrian
> Radiation Protection Law and the Ordinance require - kept in lead castles,
> which were locked with special locks, for which I had the keys. I was
> responsible for the security of the radioactive material and also for
> radiation protection. All hazardous chemicals - which are clearly defined
> by Austrian law - had to be locked and were of course locked in a metal
> container, for which I had the special key. Being a chemist I was also
> responsible for hazardous chemicals. Within the metal container
> there was a second one, with an even more sophisticated lock, in which the
> extremely poisonous material like cyanides, mercury compounds etc. were
> kept. Of course I also had this key.
>
> When any coworker, who was not specially authorized needed some material
> out of these, it was handed out to him by me for the time of use and then
> put back.
>
> I do not understand, what is so complicated and impossible about this?
>
>
> >...snipped...
Franz,
    Let us consider your example. Your coworker, who was not specially
authorized, needed some material which were locked and you have the only
key. You issue some of the material to this individual. For this example, it
need not be radioactive material. (Perhaps it is a radioactive cyanide
compound.) You did not indicate that you personally supervise the use of
these materials after issue. How would you control what the person did with
the material after obtaining it. If the individual were to misuse the
material, how could you possibly prevent the misuse? If the material was
misused, should you be held legally responsible? Should you be cited by the
regulatory agency?
    It is my opinion that the system you described takes all precaution that
is possible, short of personal supervision of each use of all material. It
is only by personally supervising each and every use of regulated or
dangerous material that misuse can be prevented. Would this be possible in
the situation you have described?















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