ENS 42532
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
05:00 Apr 27, 2006 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Missing Troxler Gauge |
| Event Description | The licensee provided the following information via email:
Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, announced today that one radioactive gauge is missing from a job site in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The gauge may pose a health risk to persons if handled or carried for an extended period of time. The missing gauge is in a yellow plastic transport case and weighs approximately 90 pounds. The gauge is described as a Troxler Electronic Laboratory Model 3440 (Serial #36212) soil moisture/density gauge containing 9 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 44 millicuries of Americium-241/ Beryllium. State police, local government officials and law enforcement agencies, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management have also been notified. The gauge appears to have been missing for at least a week.
The following information was provided via email: The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) conducted an investigation in the Jonesboro, Arkansas area for the missing Troxler gauge (Serial Number 36212) on April 27, 2006. DHHS staff talked with licensee staff and the former Radiation Safety Officer. Based on these discussions, it appears that the gauge may have been inadvertently stolen when the portable storage building was stolen in mid-April. The gauge was last known to be inside a homemade, galvanized metal building. On May 5, 2006, the licensee offered a reward for the return of the gauge. DHHS has been in contact with the scrap metal broker in the Jonesboro area in the event the building is scrapped. Notified R4DO (Bywater), NMSS (Reamer) and ILTAB (email).
The State provided the following information via email: The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) received notification on July 17, 2006 that the missing Troxler gauge (Model 3440; Serial Number 36212) was anonymously returned to the licensee's jobsite in Jonesboro, Arkansas on July 14, 2006. The transportation case and source rod were locked and secured. The gauge appeared to be in normal working condition and a leak test was performed by the RSO. The gauge is being shipped to Troxler for routine calibration and maintenance. DHHS considered this event to be closed. Notified R4DO (Farnholtz), NMSS (Morell) and ILTAB (email). 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. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Robertson, Inc Jonesboro, Arkansas (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | AR-987BP0512 |
| Organization: | Arkansas Department Of Health |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+5.75 h0.24 days <br />0.0342 weeks <br />0.00788 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Jared Thompson 10:45 Apr 27, 2006 |
| NRC Officer: | John Knoke |
| Last Updated: | Jul 25, 2006 |
| 42532 - NRC Website | |
Robertson, Inc with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 425322006-04-27T05:00:00027 April 2006 05:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Missing Troxler Gauge 2006-04-27T05:00:00 | |