Contaminated ICN packages

[don@radpro.uchicago.edu]

essage conI received a message from the SAFETY listserver concerning 
contaminated interior packaging in some isotope shipments from 
ICN.  Since I haven't seen it posted on RADSAFE, and I suspect that 
few on radsafe have the patience to wade through all the traffic on SAFETY,
I am reposting this message, in its entirety, below.  If this is a repeat,
please excuse me-it takes a while for me to catch up with my mail.
(Note: the awkward line breaks are from the original message.)

____________________________________________________________________________

Date:         Thu, 5 Jan 1995 18:08:05 -0500
Reply-To:     Safety <SAFETY@uvmvm.bitnet>
Sender:       Safety <SAFETY@uvmvm.bitnet>
From:         David Gorman <david.gorman@utoronto.ca>
Subject:      Contaminated Shipments from ICN Biomedicals (fwd)
To:           Multiple recipients of list SAFETY <SAFETY@uvmvm.bitnet>
Message-ID:  <9501051412.aa19514@radpro.radpro.uchicago.edu>
Status: RO

Feel free to send any comments on this directly to Peter
Fundarek at the address below. He is not on the SAFETY
listserver. I will forward to him any postings on the
listserver.

Forwarded Message:
From: Peter Fundarek <P.FUNDAREK@utoronto.ca>
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 1995 15:59:23 -0500
Subject: Contaminated Shipments from ICN Biomedicals
To: Radiation Safetyline <Safetyline.rad@mtsa.ubc.ca>

We continue to receive contaminated shipments of Phosphorous
32 from
ICN Biomedicals.  This occurred several times in the latter
half of
1994 and we had one shipment today that was contaminated.
As a
precaution, we will check all isotope users who received
P-32 from ICN
within the last three weeks.

The contamination is normally found by the isotope users on
receipt of
the shipment.

(Note:  ICN packaging has the clear isotope vial contained
in a blue
screw top container which is then within a white snap top
container.
This latter container is what is seen when the cardboard
shipping box
is opened.)

In this latest contamination, the interior of the blue screw
top
container and the exterior of the clear isotope vial were
severely
contaminated.   A small swipe of the isotope vial produced
more than
2000 cpm on a LSC.

Details of this incident will be forwarded to the AECB.

Isotope users are cautioned to check all radioactive
materials on
receipt but to be particularly vigilant regarding those
originating
from ICN.

I would like to hear from any other users who have had
similar
problems with ICN.


Regards,
Peter J. Fundarek
University of Toronto
email:  p.fundarek@utoronto.ca
phone:  (416) 978-2374
fax:  (416) 971-1384





DAVID J. GORMAN
DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
215 HURON STREET, ROOM 702
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA M5S 1A2

TEL: (416) 978-7831
FAX: (416) 971-1361
E-MAIL: david.gorman@utoronto.ca