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Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | October 08, 2025
When employees at the St. George Endocrine and Diabetes Clinic in Utah began to fall ill in large numbers, they turned their attention to the recently-opened CT imaging facility on the other side of the wall.
An ensuing investigation found the adjacent Intermountain St. George Imaging Center's drywall had not been constructed with the necessary lead lining for radiation shielding, leaving everyone in the surrounding area exposed to unsafe levels of radiation for several months, according to a lawsuit filed in Utah's Fifth District Court.
All told, 27 people (including three children) suffered "headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, malaise and drowsiness" after spending time in the building next door,
according to the Salt Lake Tribune. One individual has since been diagnosed with leukemia.
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Intermountain Healthcare, which owns the CT facility, hired Medical Physics Consulting to design the facility's construction plan. Medical Physics Consulting brought in CRC Construction to do the job, and CRC Construction subcontracted to B&S Drywall for the lead shielding. In July 2023, after construction was complete, Medical Physics Consultants performed a scatter survey to ensure radiation was concealed. The lab passed that test.
But after complaints from the clinic, a follow up test was performed in May 2024 by the state Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control. That test revealed “scatter radiation exposure exceeded the maximum amount of radiation exposure allowed for members of the public,” according to the Tribune.
Subsequent testing from Medical Physics Consultants confirmed the state’s results, and when workers cut into the wall, there was no lead shielding to be found.
"We don't know yet why the construction company or drywall company didn't put lead lining in the walls," said Nathan Langston, attorney for the plaintiffs,
according to local news outlet KUTV. "Even more perplexing is how the post-construction scatter survey came back with a passing grade."
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of negligence and fraudulent concealment.
"There are questions that will need to be answered by experts as the lawsuit continues," Langston said. "But primarily, we're going to try to figure out how the post-construction scatter survey ended up with a passing grade. That should have been the safety net to catch any problems with the construction, and it failed."
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Steven Ford
Dozens Sick from radiation exposure
October 16, 2025 01:24
This failure of safety shielding is inexcusable and terrible.
Having said that, there's utterly zero evidence that the reported illnesses are linked to radiation exposure in general, much less the radiation dose experienced by these people. It's irresponsible of you to suggest otherwise. We don't even know the amount of radiation they were exposed to. DotMed may be exposing itself to legal liability to make a false claim, but apart from that nonsense, it's poor writing and editing to have a headline like that.
Radiation exposure should be treated seriously and so should public statements about radiation hazards and effects.
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Gus Iversen
re: Dozens Sick from radiation exposure
October 16, 2025 06:28
Steven, as always, we are grateful for your insight and perspective. You are correct that the headline should clarify that these are allegations from a lawsuit, and not indisputable facts. I've made an update to reflect that.
Thanks very much.
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