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LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered a company to stop large shipments of radioactive materials because of concerns the packages could break open in an accident. 

The action was sparked by complaints by French officials that JL Shepherd & Associates of San Fernando had shipped an irradiator that had not been packaged in a way that conformed with U.S. regulations. 

A follow-up inspection of the Los Angeles-area company in late May left NRC officials without “the requisite assurance that (Shepherd’s) current operations can be conducted ... in compliance with the commission’s requirements,” the order, issued Tuesday and effective immediately, read in part. 

“This is a significant action,” said Tim Kobetz, a project manager with the NRC.  

“When we issue an order it’s because we certainly have a concern in this area and there is the potential the public’s safety and health could be impacted.” 

Federal officials discovered the company had altered the design of the packaging that houses one of its irradiators, a medical device used to irradiate blood, without gaining government approval. 

The device contains 18,000 curies of cobalt-60, a highly radioactive material.  

If the substance breached the protective packaging that shields it – including a double-walled steel cylinder – it could cause serious injuries or death. 

No one was exposed to radiation because of the improperly packaged irradiator, federal officials said. 

The NRC identified a similar issue with how Shepherd packaged its products in 1999, but was later assured by the company it had fixed the problem in accordance with federal regulations, Kobetz said. 

The company declined to comment on the action. 

“This matter is between JL Shepherd and the NRC and there is no comment,” said a woman who answered a company phone but refused to identify herself. 

The device was shipped from California to New York and then on to the United Kingdom last summer. French officials refused to admit the irradiator when they discovered its housing design varied from that approved by the U.S. government. 

The irradiator was later shipped back to California. 

Without federal approval, JL Shepherd & Associates cannot ship large radioactive sources in certain packages, but will be able to ship some smaller quantities. 

The company now has 20 days to answer the order, either consenting to it or explaining why it should not have been issued.  

It may also request a formal hearing on the matter. 

On the Net: 

http://www.nrc.gov/ 

http://www.jlshepherd.com/