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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532
	CONTACT:	Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov
		Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-98-09

January 22, 1998

NRC, INDIANA COMPANY TO DISCUSS APPARENT VIOLATIONS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a predecisional enforcement conference on January 27 with representatives of Mallinckrodt Veterinary, Inc., Terre Haute, Indiana, on apparent radiation safety violations.

The conference will start at 1:00 p.m. in the Third Floor Conference Room of the NRC Region III Office, 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, Illinois. It is open to public observation. NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer questions from the news media and other interested observers.

The discussion will focus on the apparent failure by the company to inform the NRC of its decommissioning activities and change of ownership. The company used radioactive material for testing and developing products for animal livestock and for laboratory analysis. In 1993, Mallinckrodt Veterinary ceased NRC-licensed activities. Shortly thereafter, the company's Radiation Safety Officer left and the NRC license was not amended to replace this position. In 1997, the company was acquired by Schering-Plough Animal Health.

During an NRC inspection in November of last year, an inspector noted that some of the buildings where radioactive material had been used or stored were decommissioned and demolished. However, the company did not provide the NRC with the required certification that radioactive material in the company's possession was disposed of properly. NRC inspectors performed confirmatory radiation surveys throughout the remaining facility and found no contamination.

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

No decision on the apparent violations or any contemplated enforcement action, such as a fine, will be made at this conference. Those decisions will be made by senior NRC officials at a later date.