DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES

1. DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES UFO’s and Radiation Burns:  Texas Radiological Incidents Chris Moore

2. Presentation • Radiation Control Program • Radiation Devices • Incidents and Complaints • State Radiological Emergency Response • Terrorism/RDD • Resources

3. RadiationControlProgram

4. Companies Crooks Catastrophes Radiation Control Purpose...

5. Radiation Control Our Purpose To prevent unnecessary radiation exposure to the public through effective… • Licensing and registration • Inspection and Investigation • Enforcement • Emergency response

6. Radiation Control Who We Serve The DSHS Radiation Control Program serves all the residents of the State of Texas by protecting them and their environment from unnecessary radiation exposure. Sources of radiation are located, used, and transported throughout Texas on a daily basis.

7. Radiation Control Who We Are DSHS ensures that licensees who use or produce radioactive materials do so in a safe and secure manner to protect the public in Texas. DSHS provides the state emergency response team that responds to nuclear, transportation, reactor accidents, or terrorist activities involving radioactive materials. DSHS contributes to keeping radioactive materials out of the hands of terrorists.

8. Radiation Control How We Deliver Services Radiation Control provides a capable and experienced staff of “health physicists” who are the state’s radiation specialists.

9. Radiation Control How Services Are Funded The radiation regulatory program is provided through efforts of technical staff who evaluate, license, inspect and investigate the uses of radiation sources in medicine, industry, education and research. The program recovers all program costs through fees to the regulated entities.

10. Radiation Control How We Administer the Program The use of radioactive material, X-ray machines, and Lasers are licensed by central office staff and inspected by staff in both field offices and central office. The program must remain compatible with that of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

11. Radiation Control Who We Regulate • 1,700 Laser Registrants • 17,000 X-ray Registrants • 1,800 RAM Licensees

12. Radioactive Material Licensees Approximately 3000 sites Inspectors: RAM 15 X-ray 21 Mammo 11 Investigators: 3 Radiation Control Who We Regulate

13. Inspections and Investigations In 2011, DSHS Radiation Inspections Branch conducted approximately: 1,900 Routine RAM inspections 2,600 Routine X-ray inspections 155 Incident and complaint investigations

14. Regulations that apply to Increased Control Licensees: Employees with unescorted access to material must be trustworthy and reliable Fingerprinted (FBI) Criminal history check Employment history Personal references Radioactive material must be continuously monitored (by personnel or alarms) Arrangements with LLEA: Security Increased Controls • Contact LLEA to provide enough information that LLEA can knowledgeably prioritize response (who, what, contact information)

15. RADIATION DEVICES

16. Types of Radioactive Devices Industrial Radiography Cameras ContainsIridium 192

17. Types of Radioactive Devices Industrial Radiography Camera Contains Cobalt-60

18. Types of Radioactive Devices

19. Types of Radioactive Devices Well Logging Sources Americium-Beryllium

20. Types of Radioactive Devices Moisture Density Gauge

21. Types of Radioactive Devices Nuclear Level Gauge

22. Radiation in Medicine • Diagnostics • Treatments

23. INCIDENTS ANDCOMPLAINTS

24. January 1, 2010 to April 1, 2012: Incidents 242 Complaints 149 Technical Assist 122 DOT Exemptions 350

25. Incidents (other than emergencies) • Field staff available for rapid response • Reports received in central or regional office • Reviewed and investigated by central office or field staff

26. Incident Investigation Program IncidentsLoss of control of sources of radiation that causes, or threatens to cause, or creates a hazard to health and/or environment. Overexposures, loss of RAM, use of wrong radiopharmaceutical. ComplaintsAllegations of unsafe or perceived unsafe conditions involving radiation, X-ray, mammo and lasers. Technical AssistanceAssistance provided to members of the public upon request to address radiological concerns. Close-OutsVerifications that facilities vacated by users of radioactive materials are not contaminated. Our goal is to help ensure a licensee or registrant is taking appropriate steps to protect workers, the public, property, and the environment.

27. Examples of Incidents and Complaints

28. Radiography Operations

29. Radiography Incident #1 A non-radiation worker received a radiation exposure when he entered the area where radiography was being performed using a 38 curie Iridium (Ir) – 192 source. The radiographers were performing radiography on a water tower but were not trained to use the man-lift to access the tower. A company employee used it and was therefore responsible for changing out the films. While the source was exposed, there was a miscommunication between the radiographers and the non-radiation worker. The non-radiation worker thought that the radiographers had instructed him to retrieve the film, however the source was cranked out exposing the film. The non-radiation worker, and it was determined that he received a whole body dose of 18 millirem for the exposure. The licensee did not exceed the exposure limit for a member of the public, however, the non-radiation worker was exposed to a radiation area that was greater that 2 millirem in any one hour.

30. Radiography Incident #2 The Agency received an email stating that a radiography trainee (RTT) may have received an overexposure to his right hand and was seeking medical attention in a Houston, Texas hospital. The Agency contacted the RTT in the hospital. The RTT stated that he was performing radiography using a camera containing 73 curies of iridium - 192. He stated that the last shot had been completed and he was removing the guide tube to move the camera. He stated that when he removed the guide tube, he saw the source sticking out of the front of the camera about 2 inches. He stated that he immediately retracted the source to its fully retracted and locked position. He stated that he did not tell his trainer what had happened. Three days later, his right thumb, index finger, and middle finger began to swell and turn yellow. At this point he began to seek medical attention ending up in the hospital in Houston, Texas.

31. 73 curies of Iridium-192 • Estimate that his hand was near the source for 10 seconds

33. Radiographer Accident #1 On April 7, 2010, Radiation Safety Officer stated that two industrial radiographers employed by the licensee had been involved in a traffic accident on State Highway 7, approximately eight to ten miles east of Kosse, Texas. The RSO stated that one of the radiographers had been fatally injured and the other had been rushed to the hospital. Mr. Banfield stated that emergency personnel were on the scene, but none had radiation detection equipment to perform a survey to make sure that the radioactive source that was in the truck was still contained in the camera. A DSHS investigator's survey determined that the camera had been locked in a plywood box located in the dark room of the truck, but due to the force of the impact, the camera was ejected from the plywood box. The camera was within the debris of the dark room, which had been dislodged from the bed of the truck.

34. The investigator determined that the radiography truck had collided head-on with a tractor trailer carrying gravel. The investigator found a maximum dose rate of 2.2 millirems per hour at one foot from the camera. The licensee's SRSO arrived at the scene to retrieve the camera.

35. Radiographer Accident #2 The licensee reported that a 32 curie iridium 192 source from a radiography camera had disconnected from its drive cable. A radiographer, not qualified for source retrieval, decided to retrieve the source after contacting the RSO who had been bedridden for two months. The radiographer inserted the source backwards into the camera to shield the source, taped the pigtail and source to the camera and placed the camera between the dark room wall and the transport container. The drive cable could not be disconnected from the camera, so the radiographer decided to store it outside the storage container and lay lead blankets over the area. The dose rate outside the vehicle was less than 2 mr/hr. The radiography truck was then involved in a four vehicle accident that moved the source about one inch causing the radiation level to rise to 47 mrem/hr as reported by Hazmat personnel. The radiographer discussed the situation with the HazMat team and got permission to move the source back into a better shielded position. Dose results and calculation determined that no one exceeded a worker or public dose limit. The HAZMAT team contacted the Agency which authorized transport of the camera back to the licensee office since the dose rate was reduced to less than 2 mr/hr.

36. Radiographer Accident #3 A licensee’s trucks carrying a radiography camera containing 13.7 curies of iridium (Ir) - 192 was involved in a traffic accident. The radiography truck struck a large item lying in the road, catapulted into the air, and burst into flames when it landed back on the highway. The two radiographers were able to evacuate from the truck without injury. The radiographers set up a barrier to limit access to the area until the integrity of the camera could be determined. The Texas State Department of Public Safety and the local fire department responded to the event. When the fire was extinguished, the camera was found still locked inside its transportation container. A survey of the camera indicated that dose rates from the camera were normal.

37. And then there is this.

38. The Agency was notified that a Federal Express plane had crashed and caught fire in Lubbock, Texas. The plane was carrying seven packages of radiopharmaceuticals with varying activities. Initial indications were that the packages were not involved in the fire, but suffered small amounts of smoke and water damage. On January 29, 2009, an Agency inspector inspected the packages and found that they were intact. Contamination surveys indicated that there had been no leakage of radioactive materials. The packages were placed in an overpack and shipped back to the supplier.

39. Face being dissolved by radiation from local prostitutes An individual stated that she was being exposed to radiation and excessive heat directed at her house by two individuals in her neighborhood. She stated that two girls (prostitutes) were responsible for directing radiation at her which would cause her appearance to disappear. This was done so that when the politicians came into their area on the weekends to have sex, she would not be competition for them. She stated that the wiring in her home’s attic has been altered is now unsafe as reported to her by an electrician. She said that the girls had opened her attic from the outside and installed two devices that they could control remotely and turn on and off a radiation field whenever they wanted.

40. She also stated that a nuclear blast had occurred a few blocks from her home at 4 AM a few weeks ago which dissolved her jaw, face, and neck. She stated that her jaw was reduced to less than 1 inch. She also stated that she lost four inches in height shortly (within minutes) after being exposed to radiation directed at her. She also stated that the military at a secret base in her area was pointing a laser at her home and exposing her to the radiation.

41. Nuclear Bombs On November 20, 2006, the Agency received a telephone call from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The allegation stated that someone residing in an apartment complex in Euless, Texas, possessed and was using nuclear material in an inappropriate manner. The caller said they also believed dirty bombs were being built there as well. The Agency performed an on-site investigation and executed a full radiation survey around the apartment complex. No radiation levels above background were detected.

42. Reactor Core The Agency received a complaint forwarded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The complaint stated that a number of staff members at the hospital with different forms of cancer was more than a coincidence, and that the cancers were being caused by contamination caused by a nearby buried Uranium core. The anonymous complaint stated that the hospital was located on land where a prison had previously been located.

43. Gambling Notified by U.S. Customs And Border Protection (CBP) that a package shipped to the United States from Thailand had been searched and found to contain a small container with an unknown quantity of material identified as strontium (Sr) - 90. The Agency along with members of CBP; the International Mail Branch; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and a member of the Tarrant County Sheriff's office, performed an onsite inspection at the home in Fort Worth. The resident of the home stated that he unaware that it was radioactive material.

44. A radiological survey of the residence found contamination on several sets of dice, two small bowls, and a piece of aluminum foil that were located in a backpack in a closet. While questioning the home owner, it was discovered that there was an additional container in the individual's truck, which was identical to the one discovered at the airport a survey of the truck found the source and a set of contaminated dice. No other contamination was discovered during the radiological surveys. The radioactive material was placed in a container and removed from the premises to storage at the Agency.

45. Import Case On January 9, 2012, the Agency was notified that tissue box covers had been shipped to Bed Bath & Beyond (BB&B) stores located in the United States that were contaminated with cobalt-60. Four stores in the State of Texas were identified as receiving a shipment of these boxes. Surveys of the tissue boxes at each location were conducted by the Agency. Readings as high at 27 mr/hr found at each location on at least one of the boxes. The boxes have been removed from the shelves and the company has made arrangements to dispose of the boxes. On March 20, 2012, the Agency confirmed that all of the tissue boxes that were located in Texas had been delivered to the smelter for destruction.

46. Radiopharmaceuticals The Agency was notified by the licensee that it had received notification from a hospital that the wrong radiopharmaceutical had been received and administered to a patient. The unit dose was meant for a different hospital in the area. The second hospital was contacted and it confirmed that it had received and administered the wrong radiopharmaceutical to one of its patients. The nuclear pharmacy's investigation determined that the prescription labels were inadvertently separated from the corresponding shield container and the unit doses then placed in the wrong transport container. The licensee counseled all employees involved on the proper packaging procedure.

47. Medical Case The Agency was notified by a cancer center licensee that there had been a therapy event in which a treatment was given to the wrong patient. The event occurred when a technologist had loaded a treatment plan anticipating the arrival of a patient to be treated with an external beam from a linear accelerator. When the patient failed to arrive for treatment, another patient was pushed forward on the schedule but the plan was not changed to the new patient. The treatment lasted less than one minute and delivered a dose of 36.2 rad to an area of the patient's body that was not part of that patient's treatment plan. The radiation delivered to the patient did not pose a health risk or have a measurable effect on the patient. The licensee conducted in-service training with the staff toreview the event and the patient identification policy.

48. Oil and Gas Drilling The Agency was notified by the licensee that they had lost, and subsequently abandoned, a logging tool containing a 20 millicurie cobalt-60 sealed source at a depth of approximately 5,100 feet in a well in Matagorda County, Texas. The well is a brine solution well that has been converted for gas storage and is a cavern and not a typical well site. There is no rig on the well and the source is at the bottom of the cavern. There is no danger of rupture or exposure. There are no plans to enter the well or cavern in the near future. No further action will be taken to retrieve the tool. A plaque for placement at the well head has been ordered. The sources were abandoned in accordance with Texas Railroad Commission and Agency regulations.

49. The licensee notified the Agency that a shipment of fly ash from their facility had alarmed a gate monitor at a Resource Development Company site in Rockwood, TN. The licensee obtained the services of a consultant to identify the radioactive material in the truck. Surveys of the truck indicated the presence of Cesium (Cs) - 137 in the waste. A full survey of the furnace facility was performed and samples collected to quantify the activity of Cs-137. Radiation survey of the facility determined that dose rates in the facility ranged from 50 µR/hr to 3000 µR/hr. A contractor was hired to provide decontamination services. All surfaces were decontaminated to below the established limits or the contaminated material was removed and disposed of as radioactive waste. $14 Million

50. Laser regulationExplosion of Laser Hair Removal in Texas