Re: Shipping Question

[lavelyp@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU]

Title: Re: Shipping Question

Ed,

I assume that this was considered a hazardous/radioactive material for DOT purposes. Therefore, the two agencies involved would be the DOT or state group with DOT responsibility (Highway Patrol in California) and the agency(s) that granted the license (NRC or state). Additionally, there could be a charge lodged with the police for embezzlement (appropriation of property of another by a person to who has been given possession for safe keeping or transport). 

If I were the shipper - under my license requirements I would make a telephone notification of the Department of Health Services Radiologic Health Branch that the event had occurred, provide details, tell them that the materials had been recovered and how, and ask for their guidance on other actions and reporting. I would tell everyone in agencies I can think of what happened. I did nothing wrong and not reporting could only be viewed as negative by the agency(s).

If I were the receiver - I would assure that the sender did the above. If they did not I would contact the state and discuss the event with them, provide details, tell them that the materials had been recovered and how, and ask for their guidance on other actions and reporting. Again, I did nothing wrong and not reporting could only be viewed as negative by the agency(s).

If I were the responsible person in the shipping company - they may have a duty to report to the DOT or state DOT agency. I would talk to the police about charges against the employee to demonstrate how seriously I am taking the incident. Again, because this was a singular bad act by an employee and not the courier company - tell everyone.

I hope that everyone would have surveyed the person who picked it up, gotten details and phone/address. (Perhaps a gift certificate for a free iodination or scan? - sorry, I just could not resist)

A final thought is were there other materials of concern that the driver may have appropriated and abandoned?

Paul Lavely

UC Berkeley

lavelyp@uclink4.berkeley.edu

> 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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