Mallinckrodt - the sequel

[William V Lipton <liptonw@dteenergy.com>]

Please see attached NRC, "Preliminary Notification."  It seems to be
another Mallinckrodt overexposure, but this time at their Harrisburg, PA
facility.   I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with more information.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com


PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-I-00-019

This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of
POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The
information is as initially received without verification or evaluation,
and is basically all that is known by Region I staff in King of
Prussia, Pennsylvania on this date.

 Facility
                                                         Licensee
Emergency Classification
 Mallinckrodt, Incorporated
                                                         Notification of
Unusual Event
 Mallinckrodt, Incorporated
                                                         Alert
 Nuclear Medicine Division
                                                         Site Area
Emergency
 2703 Wagner Place
                                                         General
Emergency
 Maryland Heights, Missouri 63043
                                                      X
                                                         Not Applicable
 Dockets: 03032995 License No: 24-04206-01MD


Subject: Apparent Overexposure to an Extremity of a Radiation Worker

On June 30,2000, about noon, licensee personnel from the Corporate
Office called the Region I office to report an
overexposure to one of its radiation workers at the radiopharmacy in
Harrisburg, PA. The licensee reported that the individual
received an exposure of greater than 60 Rem for the period from February
of 2000 to May of 2000. The dose limit for an
exposure to an extremity is 50 Rem. The individual was removed from
duties involving exposure to radioactive material and the
licensee is initiating an investigation into the cause of the apparent
overexposure. The licensee will issue a 30-day report of the
incident to the NRC once the investigation is completed. The NRC Region
I staff contacted the RSO of the Harrisburg facility
for additional information. The RSO provided the following data
concerning the individual's extremity doses: February 2000 -
8.2 Rem; March 2000 - 26.5 Rem; April 2000 - 13.1 Rem; and May 2000 - 12
Rem. The April and May reports were
received by the licensee on June 23, 2000 and June 29, 2000,
respectively. NRC plans to perform a special inspection to
review the circumstances surrounding this event and to examine the
licensee's actions to prevent recurrence. The
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been notified of this event. NRC Region
I Office of Public Affairs has been briefed and is
prepared to respond to inquiries. The information in this preliminary
notification is current as f 1:00 p.m. on June 30, 2000.

 Contact:
                     S. Courtemanche
                                                            P. Lanzisera

                     (610)337-5075

(610)337-5169

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