Licensee representative reported a lost Liquid Scintillation Counter with associated
Radium 226 source (removed from the location approx late December 2005). Authorized user [Deleted] surplused the
LSC, LKS Model 1214, Liquid Scintillation Counter- SN 115, UNC Property Number 175899,
Radium 226 source of 10 microcuries.
The licensee representative searched for the LSC/source at UNC Chapel Hill Surplus Property, NC Surplus Property, and has interviewed individuals that may have purchased or acquired LSC, to no avail.
Incident Assessment by IAT:
There is no significant radiation exposure hazard, there is no significant radiation contamination hazard, and the event has been classified as LOW - Minimal or Low Risk in regards to persons, environment, and facilities/equipment at the facility.
NC Incident number: 06-05
This event was reported by the State of North Carolina voluntarily to the NRC, however, the NRC does not regulate Radium 226 at this time.
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE 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. 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.
This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the
IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source