A representative for the Air Force Master Material License reported that two
Americium-241 sources (SSDR NR-1129-D0102-S; Model M43A1) each with a curie content of less than 300 microCuries (less than 600 microCuries total) were determined to be missing from a storage location at the Tyndall Air Force Base in
Florida. The sources are used in Chemical Agent Detectors. The date of last confirmed inventory of the sources was December of 2005. The
RSO at Tyndall AFB recently changed and a new inventory was conducted at which time the sources were determined to be unaccounted for. The licensee states that there is information that indicates the sources have been transferred to another AFB but that this has not yet been confirmed. Investigation into the current location of the sources is still in progress.
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