Clinic files lawsuit after neighboring imaging center allegedly leaks radiation through shared wall

A Utah healthcare clinic has filed suit after a neighboring imaging center allegedly leaked radiation through a shared wall, sickening scores of employees. 

St. George Endocrine and Diabetes Clinic—part of hospital giant Intermountain Health—and its attorneys recently submitted the complaint in a Utah district court. They note that the Salt Lake City-based system had set out to convert a former clinic office into a CT center around 2022. 

However, months after the imaging outpost opened in St. George, Utah, workers at the diabetes clinic started falling ill. They suspected radiation poisoning was to blame, with testing later confirming unsafe levels of exposure, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday. 

St. George Endocrine and Diabetes is now suing CRC Construction, B & S Drywall, and Medical Physics Consultants, claiming they failed to properly install lead-lined walls to contain radiation. This after previous testing had determined the diabetes clinic was safe. 

"We don't know yet why the construction company or drywall company didn't put lead lining in the walls. Even more perplexing is how the post-construction scatter survey came back with a passing grade,” attorney Nate Langston, with St. George-based McMullin Injury Law, told KUTV Wednesday. “That should have been the safety net to catch any problems with the construction, and it failed,” he added later. 

Clinic Director Paulette Valentine first suspected the problem after her employees fell sick. They cut a hole into the adjoining wall to test their theory, finding no protective lining between the two offices. Purportedly, 27 people including three children have been exposed to excessive levels of radiation, leading to headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue and drowsiness, the Tribune reported. One individual has since been diagnosed with leukemia, according to the complaint, filed in the 5th District Court on Sept. 22.

Intermountain hired Medical Physics Consultants to help with radiation-safety aspect of the project while CRC handled construction, subcontracting out work to B & S Drywall. Purportedly, testing by the physics group in July 2023 showed the barrier had been installed and was working. But Valentine and colleagues contend Medical Physics Consultants either didn’t perform the scatter survey or failed to conduct it properly. Plaintiffs further charge that the contractors sought to “financially enrich” themselves by charging the hefty fee for lead protection (sometimes 10 times more expensive) without having to do the extra work. 

The hospital system—which is not named as a defendant—later had an emergency management employee test the clinic, finding unsafe radiation levels. Further testing by health authorities confirmed the clinic’s concerns, with radiation levels far exceeding the state maximum. The defendants did not immediately respond to local media outlets’ requests for comment. They’re accused of negligence and fraudulent concealment. 

Intermountain shared a statement with KUTV about the issue. 

"Caregiver and patient safety are a top priority at St. George Regional Hospital. We cannot offer further statements, as we do not comment on specific matters involving litigation,” the organization said. 

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