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Jose Julio Rozental
Israel
York Hospital cited by NRCThe hospital may face a $3,000 fine for wrongful disposal of radioactive material.Daily Record staff
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 A York Hospital Cancer Center contracting error is to blame
for the wrongful disposal of about 600 pounds of radioactive material that could
result in a $3,000 fine.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission found two preliminary violations at York Hospital: failure to locate an authorized company to receive depleted uranium and not listing that event on a commission license renewal application. On Oct. 8, 2002, two NRC safety inspectors found that the hospital had not verified that Albuquerque, N.M.-based Linac Systems was authorized to receive depleted uranium used as radioactive shielding in a linear accelerator. York Hospital used the linear accelerator in radiation therapy to deliver high doses of X-ray energy to cancerous tumors while avoiding exposure to benign tissue. Depleted uranium is used as a buffer to absorb energy radiation before it can contaminate the patient or the operator. The NRC regulates the use of low-grade radioactive depleted uranium which posses little risk to public health unless ingested, said Neil Sheehan, commission spokesman. Typically, dense depleted uranium is found in solid brick form and has been used by the military for anti-tank ammunition, he said. If ingested, depleted uranium in dust form can cause cancer — depending on the dose — over an extended period of time, Sheehan said. None of the depleted uranium used by York Hospital was ingested or found to cause harm, he said. York Hospital is required to inform NRC about the location of depleted uranium. On Feb. 28, 2002, York Hospital applied for NRC license renewal and requested that the commission remove depleted uranium from its list of regulated materials. “We had to ask them what had become of the 600 pounds of depleted uranium that had been used,” Sheehan said. In response, York Hospital officials went to work tracking down additional information for the NRC and found that Linac Systems did not have a license to handle radioactive material. Since 1991, Linac Systems has developed linear accelerators that are used in a host of scientific, medical, industrial, defense and homeland security applications. In March 2001, Linac Systems removed the linear accelerator at no charge to the hospital, Sheehan said. After four months, Linac Systems sold the depleted uranium to RT Technical Services in Alvaredo, Texas — a company authorized to handle the material. “We made an error in contracting for the disposal of that unit,” said Barry Sparks, spokesman for York Hospital. “There was nothing malicious or intentional about this. It was just an error.” NRC inspectors determined the hospital’s radiation safety officer was not present at the meeting set to discuss the decommissioning of the linear accelerator. The hospital assigned a medical physicist the task of tracking down a potential recipient for the depleted uranium — a job usually completed by three or four separate departments, Sparks said. During the inspection, the NRC found the radiation safety officer was aware of regulatory issues surrounding depleted uranium but did not provide information to the medical physicist. The NRC has requested York Hospital to submit a list of corrective actions taken after the event within 25 days or request a formal meeting. At that time, the commission will decide if a $3,000 fine should be assessed, Sheehan said. “We will review our procedures and will improve if necessary,” Sparks said. “That is the prudent thing to do.” |