The State provided the following information via email:
A portable gauge licensee reported a Troxler Electronics Model 3411 portable moisture/density gauge, serial number 16176 was stolen when the transport vehicle was stolen. The transport vehicle is a 1989 Honda CRX and was parked at the gauge user's residence at the time of the theft. The Licensee reported the gauge was stolen between the hours of 10:00 PM Monday, November 1, 2005 and 7:00 AM Tuesday, November 2, 2005. A police report has been filed by the licensee with the Edmonds police department.
No media attention to date.
Isotope and Activity involved: 1.48 GBq (40 mCi) Am-241:Be and a 0.296 GBq (8 mCi) Cs-137 source. Source serial numbers: Cs-137 (50-5267), Am-241Be (47-11584).
Disposition/recovery: The police have been notified of the theft, the gauge has not yet been recovered.
Gauge was last leak tested on October 5, 2005. Analysis was done by Troxler and found to be acceptable.
The licensee reported that all the proper levels of security were being used at the time the vehicle was stolen with two locked cables or chains.
Washington Event report # WA-05-061
- * * UPDATE PROVIDED FROM STATE (SCROGGS) VIA EMAIL TO ROTTON AT 1854 EST ON 12/05/05 * * *
The Licensee reported that the vehicle stolen on November 2, 2005 was recovered at 7:30 PM that day. The gauge in the vehicle was not damaged and the security cables securing the gauge to the vehicle were intact. The licensee also reported that an attempt was made to remove the security cables.
The licensee must perform a new leak test on the gauge to verify that the gauge is in proper condition prior to being used in the field.
Notified R4DO (Kennedy), NMSS EO (Pierson), Canada (CNSC), TAS (Hahn via email).
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.