NRC TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS WITH TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, ON MARCH 29

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Texas A&M University's Nuclear Science Center on March 29, to discuss two apparent violations of agency requirements involving a shipment of radioactive material.

The predecisional enforcement conference, which is open for public observation, will be held in Room O-4B6 of the agency's One White Flint North building, 11555 Rockville Pike, at 10:00 a.m.

Last December, the NRC conducted a special inspection at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, following the shipment of three liquid bromine-82 capsules from the research reactor on December 4. When the package arrived in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on December 8, the recipient notified NRC that the lid of the 700-pound lead-lined shipping container had dislodged during transport. Consequently, the three capsules were not in their proper position. Initial review indicates radiation monitors worn by transportation personnel recorded no associated exposures, and there was no apparent exposure to the public. After the bromine-82 capsules were properly shielded, they were used for their intended purpose at a refinery.

Based on the inspection, the NRC has made a preliminary determination that the university did not properly secure the lid of the transportation container prior to shipment and failed to properly train workers involved in the shipment. NRC is working with Department of Transportation personnel on the follow-up to this event.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. Rather, the purpose is to discuss the apparent violations, causes and safety significance; to give the licensee an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the licensee to outline its proposed corrective action.

No decision on the apparent violation will be made at this conference. That decision will be made by NRC officials at a later time.

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Friday, December 05, 2008