AERB Press Release- No radiation leakage in consignment arrived by Turkish airlines at Delhi airport
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) have received intimation on suspected radioactivity leakage at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Cargo Terminal, New Delhi today (29th May 2015) morning. The preliminary information revealed that the suspected leakage was from a consignment arrived through Turkish Airlines from Istanbul. Immediately, a team from the DAE Emergency Response Centre at Delhi, representatives of AERB posted at the Northern Regional Regulatory Centre (NRRC) located at Delhi, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other concerned officials from DAE and Delhi Police & Fire Departments rushed to the spot for an on-the-spot investigation. The investigation has now revealed that there was no radioactivity leakage from the consignment. It was concluded that an organic liquid leaking from the nearby container would have caused wetting of the above mentioned consignment of Nuclear Medicines.
As per the consignor’s declarations of the dangerous goods, the consignment contains 7 vials of 1131 (Liquid Sodium Iodide) and 3 Mo99 – Tc99m generators . These were imported by M/s Jubilant Draximage, New Delhi for supplying to different hospitals across the country. These materials were imported through a Type A Transport package with Import permission from AERB.
The investigation team has measured the radiation levels at the surface of the consignment and the level of about 1 3mR/hr was observed, whereas such packages have a permissible limit of maximum 50mR/hr at a distance of 5cm, because of the contained radioactive materials inside the package.
Mo99 — Tc99m generators are widely used in diagnostic Nuclear Medicine practices. 1131 a short-lived beta-gamma emitter in liquid form is used for treating thyroid cancer patients and also for diagnostic Nuclear Medicine practices.
This is to assure that there was no radiation leakage from the consignment arrived via Turkish Airlines at New Delhi Cargo Airport and there was no radiation exposure to anyone