Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 21-012 February 23, 2021
NRC Proposes $75,000 Civil Penalty to California Company for Import and Distribution Violations
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $75,000 civil penalty against CampCo Inc. of Los Angeles for various violations of requirements related to importing and distributing watches containing radioactive material. An NRC Notice of Violation, issued Feb. 11, lists nine separate violations, including repeat violations.
The NRC found the company failed to comply with requirements of its license, namely importing and distributing watch models for which it was not authorized. The company also provided inaccurate information to the NRC.
These violations are similar to ones issued to CampCo in 2015. At that time, the company and the NRC negotiated a settlement, and the NRC issued a Confirmatory Order setting out certain conditions to bring the company into compliance with its license and NRC regulations. In the current action, the NRC determined that the company continued to import watch models that were not authorized under its license, continued to violate NRC reporting requirements, and failed to comply with portions of the Confirmatory Order.
CampCo Inc. holds an NRC exempt distribution license and is authorized to distribute several models of watches containing tritium, which are exempt from regulation once they are initially distributed. Retailers and consumers do not need a license to own them; however, the initial distribution must be made under an NRC license to ensure that the devices meet safety requirements.
The watches contain a small amount of tritium encapsulated in glass vials. The radioactive material ionizes a luminescent coating on the inside of the glass vial to produce light, so the markers on the watch face and hands can be seen in low light.
