On 10/18/05 while conducting leak checks of their equipment, the licensee discovered a
NDC Model 104F Paper Thickness
Gauge (80 millicuries
Am-241 s/n 11480) missing. The device was not located in a search of the facility. The device was part of the production line. The licensee notified the
Arkansas Department of Health at 1430
CDT on 10/28/05.
- * * UPDATE FROM MACK TO HUFFMAN ON 11/21/05 AT 12:37 EST * * *
On 10/31/05, authorities from the State of Arkansas performed a search of the licensee's facility but were still unable to locate the missing gauge. The State determined that the gauge had not been used in support of the production process at the facility for quite a while and had been retired in place on the production line by the licensee. The State also determined that the last inventory of the gauge had been in 2001. The licensee has provided the State with corrective actions related to this event. The State considers this gauge lost and is closing out this report.
The R4DO (Smith), NMSS( Karas), and TAS (Danis via e-mail) have been notified on this update.
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. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are 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.