Shipping Question

["Ed Stroud" <ed.stroud@state.co.us>]

Here's a shipping question for those interested. (This is an actual

incident)



A licensed nuclear pharmacy uses a private courier service to deliver

(and retrieve) unit doses and vials of medical isotopes to licensed

hospitals outside of their normal service area.  An incident occurs

where the courier, on a return trip from the hospital back to the

pharmacy, deliberately abandons a box of this material in a parking lot.

 A member of the public finds the box, which is marked and labeled per

DOT, and contacts the hospital.  The box is eventually returned to the

pharmacy.  Management at the hospital, nuclear pharmacy and the courier

service are aware of the incident.



Here are the questions.  Should this incident be reported to the

authorities? Why/why not?  If yes, who do you think is responsible for

reporting this incident to the authorities - the hospital, because they

were the shipper; the pharmacy, because they paid for the courier

service; or the courier service, because their driver abandoned the

material. The hospital and the nuclear pharmacy have radioactive

materials licenses. 



Comments/thoughts?



Ed Stroud

CDPHE

ed.stroud@state.co.us



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