After picking up the
CPN Model MC-3
Moisture Density Gauge (s/n M38128625 10 millicuries
Cs-137 and 50 millicuries Am-241:Be) at the company's office in Chino, CA, the
gauge operator stopped at his residence in Victorville, CA, for 20 to 30 minutes. The operator's residence is on the way to the job site. The
gauge was chained to the bed of the company truck which was parked in the operator's personal stall. When the operator returned to his truck the two chains that secured the
gauge case to the truck were cut, and the
gauge and case were gone. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Office was notified and investigated. The Radiation Safety Officer is preparing a reward offer. The
gauge was within its leak test interval, and the last test was satisfactory.
- * * UPDATE ON 8/9/2006 AT 0001 FROM BARBARA HAMRICK TO ABRAMOVITZ * * *
The State provided the following information via email:
Today at about 6:15 pm, the California Radiologic Health Branch reported that a moisture-density gauge had been stolen in Victorville, CA this morning. The gauge belonged to RMA Geoscience. We are happy to report, the gauge was found tonight intact, in an abandoned field in Victorville, by the Victorville Fire Department. The RSO was contacted, and will be retrieving the gauge tonight, and returning it to the authorized permanent storage location in Chino, CA.
Notified NMSS (Holahan), ILTAB, R1DO (Bywater) and Mexico (via E-mail).
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.