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Mallinckrodt Irradiates
Workers
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission cited
Mallinckrodt, Inc. on Dec. 21 for exposing 15 employees to radiation levels in
excess of federal safety limits at the company’s Maryland Heights, Mo. complex
over the past four years.
Mallinckrodt produces radioactive drugs at the complex for use in
research, medical diagnosis, and therapy. The NRC boosted the fine to
$125,000 because of the number and severity of the overexposures and due to
Mallinckrodt’s “poor enforcement history.”
The agency launched its investigation after
a contract employee on March 31, 2000 received a radiation dose to his thumb and
forefinger that was more than ten times greater than the NRC’s annual exposure
limit. The worker received a dose
of 510 rems after handling a device containing radioactive material. A rem is a standard measure of radiation
absorbed by the human body. Federal
safety regulations limit radiation doses to a worker’s hand to no more than 50
rems for an entire year.
The NRC also cited Mallinckrodt for exposing
14 other employees to excessive radiation levels at two other work areas at the
Maryland Heights complex between 1996 and 2000. In all, the NRC identified 31
overexposures to these 15 employees during those years, ranging from 54 to 510
rems, with six exposures greater than 250 rems. Mallinckrodt paid the $125,000 fine on
Jan. 22, 2001.
The NRC has cited Mallinckrodt in recent
years for the following additional
violations:
ü
A worker at the company’s Harrisburg, Pa. facility received a cumulative
radiation dose of 62 rems to one hand during the first six months of 2000. The NRC faulted Mallinckrodt for failing
to adequately monitor the worker to prevent the excessive radiation
exposure.
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An employee in Maryland Heights
received an overexposure of at least 290 rems when his left hand became
contaminated during routine clean up of radioactive waste on May 14, 1997. Contaminated material on the employee’s
thumb went undetected until after he had left the plant and returned to work the
next morning. The company also
found contaminated toweling and clothing at the employee’s
residence.
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