The licensee reported that a 0.958 microCurie (as of 02/05/83) source of
Californium 249 was unaccounted for when the device was inspected prior to usage. The source is a solid electrode deposit on a platinum foil which is used to calibrate nuclear physics instrumentation. The last inventory was conducted on 07/25/05, but it was only a visual check of the container. The last activity identification of the device was on 05/11/04. They have searched and are continuing the search to find the material. No evidence of contamination has been detected in the area at this time.
This is a IAEA Category 5 material. Sources that are "Less than IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury.
For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks.
- UPDATE FROM ROSSI TO KNOKE AT 13:05 EDT 0N 09/07/05 ***
The licensee made a correction to the 3rd sentence in the first paragraph to read as follows: "The last inventory was conducted on 07/25/05, which was a physical inventory of the source.
Notified R3DO (Cameron) and NMSS (Hickey), and emailed TAS (Danis).
- * * UPDATE FROM K. ERICKSON TO W. GOTT AT 0855 ON 11/17/05 * * *
The licensee located the lost material on November 10, 2005. The source was in the restricted area of the facility but was not in the normal storage location. The source in now in the appropriate locked storage location. The licensee notified Regions 3 (S. Bakhsh).
Notified R3DO (Stone),
NMSS (G. Morell), email
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and TAS (Whitney).