The following was provided by the State via facsimile:
Event Location: Miller Compressing, Milwaukee, WI
Event Type: Found Radioactive Material-Portable Moisture Density Gauge
Notifications: Miller Compressing called [the] Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS)
Event description: A Troxler moisture density gauge was found at Miller Compressing on 2/22/07. It was in a load of scrap and was separated by the staff at Miller Compressing.
Additional Information: Miller Compressing is scrap metal recycler in Milwaukee.
The DHFS staff in Wisconsin has been in contact with the state of Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Troxler Electronic Labs to try and identify an owner or former licensee. The gauge was initially distributed to an Illinois licensee in 1977. The portable gauge is a Troxler Model 3411. The plate on the device indicates the device serial number is 4942. The back plate identifies the nuclides as 8.9 mCi of Cs-137 on 9/5/77 ([serial number] CC-1968) and 40 mCi of Am241:Be on 9/14/77 ([serial number] CAA-1031). The serial no. does not match any gauges currently reported as lost or stolen.
The shipping container is damaged. The gauge is intact. Miller Compressing is storing the gauge in a locked location on site. DHFS staff will follow up with a site visit.
WI report number: W070005
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.