incident in Spain

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@AECL.CA>]

NUCLEAR NEWS FLASHES - Friday, April 30, 2004

INTERNATIONAL:

--TWO SPANISH RADIOGRAPHERS WERE OVEREXPOSED APRIL 28 by a 733-gigabecquerel

(19.79-curie) iridium-192 source that had moved from the safe position

inside its sheath, Spain's Nuclear Safety Council said. The incident

happened during X-ray inspection of pipe welds at a fossil-fired power plant

near Cordoba, with a gammagraphy device of the firm Technical Operations.

Preliminary investigation showed that several operational procedures were

violated, including the absence of dosimeters and radiation monitors. The

radiographers were estimated to have received doses of 158 milliSievert

(15.8 rem) and 79 mSv (7.9 rem), respectively. The NRC occupational exposure

limit is 5 rem per year, but the European countries have been lowering that

limit.