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Re: 31 workers over-exposed in Montana!!!
The antis are not against the use of sources in medical, industry and
research.
The antis, they family, also can need Nuclear Medicine Assistance, and they
know. They know as well the importance of use of sources in industry
control, as gauges, radiography, etc - So we have to take care when
extrapolating situations.
Control of radioactive sources is a question of major concern at
International Organization, as IAEA, and National, as USA and many others.
However there are many developing countries with weak infrastructure in
radiological protection where the situation is very difficult in terms of
protection and control.
Look these papers on the subject:
1 - "The BSS Preamble indicates that the standards are based on the
presumption that governments have proper legislation and regulations in
place to deal with problems of the safety of radioactive sources and the
security of radioactive materials, It is not true, for example, that all
countries had proper legislation on radiation safety and security. It is not
true that all countries have proper regulations in place. It is not true
that in most countries there are independent regulatory authorities invested
with the necessary powers to perform the work required of them. And,
finally, it is not true that when a regulatory authority exists it always
has the necessary resources at its disposal. - In summary, more than 110
States may have no minimum infrastructure to properly of the BSS in
non-Member States, although only with extra budgetary resources."
Ref - TIMELY ACTION - STRENGTHENING THE SAFETY OF RADIATION SOURCES & THE
SECURITY OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS, BY ABEL J.GONZALEZ, IAEA BULLETIN,
41/3/1999
2 - "Based on data received by the NRC, approximately 375 sources or devices
of varying risk have been reported lost or stolen per year in the U.S.
Although the number of reported lost devices has decreased over recent years
(NRC data indicates that 286 reports were received in 1999), the NRC has
become increasingly concerned about occurrences where generally-licensed
devices have not been handled or disposed of properly because of the
potential for public exposure or contamination of property. Some
generally-licensed devices have been accidentally melted in steel mills
causing contamination of the mill, the steel product, and the wastes from
the process (i.e., the slag and the baghouse dust). Although only a few
exposures have exceeded
the public dose limits, there may be a future potential for exposures
involving the general public."
Ref - AN OVERVIEW OF MANAGING THE U.S. RADIATION PROTECTION
PROGRAM CONCERNING GENERALLY-LICENSED SOURCES AND DEVICES
Commissioner Greta Joy Dicus - U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Presentation at the 10th Annual International Radiation Protection
Association Conference
May 15, 2000, Hiroshima, Japan
----------
Relatively small radiation risk is imposed when the container is not
damaged or violeted, however when this have happen , were cause of major
accidents, with public fatalities consequences examples:
1981 Oklahoma, USA Industrial Radiography
1984 Morocco Lost of source Ir-192 30 Ci
1987 Goiania, Brazil Teletherapy abandoned device
1992 Xinzhou, China Lost of Co-60 source
1994 Tammiku, Estonia Abandoned Scrap Cs137
2000 Thailand Lost Co-60 (420 Ci)
2000 Egypt Lost Ir-192 (20 Ci)
IAEA have published many of such events due lost of sources that gave rise
to fatalities or over exposure, examples
The radiological accident in Goiania, 1987
The radiological accident in Tammiku, 1998
The radiological accident in Yanango, 2000
The radiological accident in Lilo, 2000
IAEA has also published a text with a selection of examples (43) when
sources have been mishandled or where they have inadvertly como into the
possession of members of the public.
Safery Report Series 7 - Lessons Learned from accidents in Industrial
Radiography, IAEA 1998.
Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
----- Original Message -----
From: <tristan@blackhat.net>
To: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 9:24 AM
Subject: Re: 31 workers over-exposed in Montana!!!
I've seen alot of lost source stuff from the antis. Here in Texas a
drilling source got lost a few months ago and it made the anti's press as
soon as it hit the papers. It was lost in a shaft (an "oops I dropped it"
event) and it didn't c ause too much panicking as some might expect
>Radsafers,
>
>Here is a NRC notice that the anti-nukers haven't gotten around to posting.
>Maybe they over looked it because it doesn't involve a nuclear power plant.
>In the Davis-Bessie and St. Lucie events it looks like the workers received
>a small amount of unplanned radiation dose. In the event below, a number of
>workers were exposed by a source that if left unfound could have delivered
>lethal doses... LETHAL. Where can you find these sources? In your
>neighborhood. In your neighbors driveway; in a truck; in the truck bed; in
>a box in the truck bed. A number of them are lost or stolen every month.
>Never makes the news, never shows up in the anti-nuke discussion boards. I
>guess that is the good radiation. I wonder if these lost sources were
>factored into the cancer studies performed around nuclear power plant.
>Whoops don't want to go there ;-)
>
>If you are interested in the number of lost sources just browse through the
>daily event reports at the NRC's web site. Just pick a month and review the
>events, you'll be shock at the number you'll find.
>
>http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/
>
>[------------------------------------------]
>No. IV-02-041
> September 26, 2002
>
>
>CONTACT: Breck Henderson
>
> Phone: 817-860-8128
>
>
>
>NRC SENDS AUGMENTED INSPECTION TEAM TO REVIEW CIRCUMSTANCES RELATED TO
>RADIATION EXPOSURES AT TEXAS FIRM'S JOB SITE IN
>MONTANA
>
>
>
>
>The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Region IV office in Arlington, Texas,
>is looking into circumstances associated with an apparent radiation
>over-exposure of 31 workers at a Texas company's temporary well drilling
>site near Havre, Montana, in May of this year.
>
>NRC officials said the radiation safety officer for Schlumberger Technology
>Corporation of Sugar Land, Texas, notified the agency on May 23 of the
>temporary loss
>of control of a radioactive well logging source containing 1.2 curies of
>Cesium-137. The company reported that a logging engineer failed to properly
>transfer the radioactive source from the well logging tool to its shielded
>transportation container following well logging operations at the Montana
>site on May 21. The source apparently fell from a handling tool onto the
>drilling rig floor where it remained unshielded until recovered by the
>company, some 48 hours later, on the evening of May 23. During that time,
>the
>portable rig was dismantled, moved to another drill site some five miles
>away, and reassembled.
>
>
>Radioactive well logging sources are used by drilling companies to measure
>the properties of rock and other materials where a well is being dug to
help
>determine the presence of water, gas or oil.
>
>
>On August 30 the NRC was provided the results of tests which indicated that
>one of the exposed individuals may have received a higher exposure than
> originally estimated.
>
>The NRC Region IV office conducted a special reactive inspection on May 25
>and 26 and upgraded it to a special Augmented Inspection Team upon receipt
>of information on August 30 that the potential existed for several drill
>rig crew members to have received exposures greater than previously
>estimated. The AIT is
>reviewing the circumstances associated with the cause of the source being
>unshielded and unsecured.
>
>[-------------------------------------------]
>
>tony
>
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