INES-event
INES 1

Missing Tc-99m Generator

On 18th December 2018, a Tc-99m generator was reported missing after delivery early in the morning by a nuclear medicine institute in Sion (Switzerland). The generator (Manufacturer: BE Imaging AG, dimensions of the device are approx. 15cm x 30cm) contains 35.4 GBq Mo-99.
On the 15th of January, the thief was arrested, based on material evidence. The enquiry showed that the generator was discarded in a container for collection of used glass shortly after the theft, because the thief did not know what he had stolen and could not open it. The generator could be traced back along with the used glass, which was sent abroad for recycling. Based on the course of events and the decay of the source it can be estimated that nobody was exposed to an elevated radiation dose due to this incident.

Location: Sion, nuclear medicine institute
Event date: Tue, 18-12-2018
Nuclear event report
Legenda & explanation