Headquarters Daily Report JANUARY 05, 1996 *************************************************************************** REPORT NEGATIVE NO INPUT ATTACHED INPUT RECEIVED RECEIVED HEADQUARTERS û REGION I û REGION II û REGION III û REGION IV û PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - HEADQUARTERS JANUARY 5, 1996 MR Number: H-96-0003 NRR DAILY REPORT ITEM GENERIC COMMUNICATIONS NRC Administrative Letter 96-01, "Operator Licensing National Examination Schedule," dated January 9, 1996. The NRC is issuing this administrative letter to ask addressees, on a voluntary basis, to submit information pertaining to their previous estimates of the number of candidates to be tested for operator licenses in fiscal years (FYs) 1996 through 1999. Contact: Stuart A. Richards, NRR (301) 415-1031 _ REGION III MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 JANUARY 5, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Department Of The Army MR Number: 3-96-0003 Marine Corps Logistics Base Date: 01/04/96 Barstow,California VIA LICENSEE PHONE CALL TO NRC RIII Dockets: 03013027 License No: 12-00722-06 Subject: RECEIPT OF A CONTAMINATED PACKAGE CONTAINING A NOMINAL 10 CURIE SOURCE OF TRITIUM IN AN M1A1 COLLIMATOR Discussion: The licensee reported external contamination on a package containing a nominal 10 Curie source of tritium in an M1A1 Collimator which was shipped (date unknown) from Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, Hawaii, and received at Building 401, Yermo Annex, Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB), Barstow, California, on December 18, 1995. At the time of shipment, the Collimator was double-bagged and placed in a cardboard box. The box was apparently not labeled. It appears that the package was shipped from a Post Office in Hawaii to the Post Office at the MCLB, Barstow, California. The package was not surveyed until December 26, 1995, at which time 12,800 disintegrations per minute (DPM) loose surface contamination (tritium) on the exterior of the package and 630,000 DPM on the device itself was found. Additional surveys were performed on December 27, 1995 of the package and surrounding areas. Contamination levels on the exterior of the package ranged from 4,000 to 227,000 DPM. No contamination was found at the MCLB Post Office and the Building 401, Yermo Annex, MCLB, receiving area. However, approximately 300 DPM was detected in a transport vehicle used to deliver the package to the receiving location. It is unknown whether wipe tests were performed at the Hawaii Post Office or appropriate base staging areas. There does not appear to be a public health and safety concern associated with this event. MCLB reported this event to the Armament and Chemical Acquisition and Logistics Activity (ACALA) in Rock Island, Illinois on January 3, 1996. ACALA holds the NRC License for these activities. Bioassays have been performed on all individuals who handled the package at MCLB and the results are pending. The licensee is investigating this event onsite at both locations and will submit a written report to Region III. Regional Action: Region IV and NMSS were notified. Region III will continue to monitor licensee evaluation efforts. Contact: THOMAS KOZAK (708)829-9866 SAM MULAY (708)829-9837 _