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re pacemakers -Reply
St. Jude Medical is in Sylmar, CA. Los Angeles County Radiation
Management staff are assisting in looking for the device.
kkaufman@dhs.co.la.ca.us
>>> <LIPTONW@dteenergy.com> 12/10/98 07:15am >>>
Here's some additional information.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
Hospital |Event Number: 35114
|
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
| LICENSEE: WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER |NOTIFICATION
DATE:
12/04/1998|
| CITY: Washington REGION: 1 |NOTIFICATION TIME:
11:05[EST]|
| COUNTY: STATE: DC |EVENT DATE:
10/28/1998|
|LICENSE#: SNM-1446 AGREEMENT: N |EVENT TIME:
[EST]|
| DOCKET: |LAST UPDATE DATE:
12/04/1998|
|
+-----------------------------+
| |PERSON
ORGANIZATION
|
| |GLENN MEYER R1
|
| |JOSEPHINE PICCONE/EO NMSS
|
+------------------------------------------------+STUART RUBIN, AEOD IRD
|
| NRC NOTIFIED BY: DR. BILLY BASS |
|
| HQ OPS OFFICER: LEIGH TROCINE |
|
+------------------------------------------------+
|
|EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A |
|
|10 CFR SECTION: |
|
|BAB1 20.2201(a)(1)(i) LOST/STOLEN LNM>1000X |
|
|NCAR CARDIAC PACEMAKER |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
EVENT TEXT
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
| LOSS OF A COROTOMIC NUCLEAR-POWERED PACEMAKER
CONTAINING 250 MILLIGRAMS
|
| (APPROXIMATELY 2.8 CURIES) OF PLUTONIUM-238
|
|
|
| The following text is a portion of a facsimile addressed to NRC Region 1
|
| (received from the licensee on 11/30/98):
|
|
|
| "Pursuant to a telephone conversation with Teresa Darden of [the NRC
Region
|
| 1] office we are notifying you of the potential loss of a nuclear
pacemaker
|
| containing [approximately] 250 milligrams of Pu-238. The pacemaker
was
|
| shipped on September 15, 1998. A routine follow up phone call
determined
|
| late in October that the manufacturer had no record of receiving the
|
| pacemaker. A thorough survey of the Washington Hospital Center
facility
has
|
| turned up nothing. The manufacturer is currently in [the] process of
|
| performing a survey of their facility to track the pacer's whereabouts.
A
|
| trace of electronic mail records has been started with the U.S. Postal
|
| Service. Results are expected within 2 weeks."
|
|
|
| "Exposure levels at 1 meter from the pacemaker are about 20
microR/[hour]
|
| presenting no risk to public individuals who may come in contact with
the
|
| device." The licensee stated that dose rates at the surface of the
source
|
| are approximately 300 microR/hour.
|
|
|
| The licensee intended to ship the model-OMNISTAMCOR pacemaker
from
|
| Washington Hospital Center to Acufix Research Institute located in
Florida;
|
| however, it was sent to St. Jude Medical, Inc., located in Filmar,
|
| California. Apparently, neither Acufix Research Institute nor St. Jude
|
| Medical, Inc., received the shipment.
|
|
|
| (Contact the NRC Operations Center for licensee contact telephone
numbers.)
|
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
You wrote:
>I am not a medical type so I can't be 100% sure, but I believe some heart
>pacemakers are powered by plutonium. Is this true?
>Harry
>303.966.2708
>Harold.Reynolds@RFETS.gov
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