An authorized user (
AU) of the licensee called the
RSO at 12:45 on 10/29/07 indicating a 3401
Troxler gauge (s/n 12664) in his possession was
stolen. "The
gauge was last seen at the authorized user's (
AU) residence in Livonia, MI between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on 10/28/07. The
gauge was secured to the truck bed with two cables that were threaded through the
gauge case handle to prevent the
gauge case from being opened. Each cable had its own lock. The
gauge case lid was also locked. The source rod was locked in the shielded position.
On 10/29/07, the AU drove to a secured temporary job site in Detroit, MI and stayed in or near the open bed pickup truck containing the gauge at all times. The AU identified that the gauge as missing at about noon on 10/29/07. All other equipment in the truck bed remained. The cables were not cut. All of the locks were taken. The licensee suspects that the thief cut the cable locks to steal the gauge.
The licensee searched the area near the AU's residence and did not find the gauge. In addition, the licensee filed a report with its LLEA. The licensee is contemplating whether or not to notify the local media as a means of finding the gauge.
The licensee is in the process of deciding what actions to take to prevent a similar event, with a focus on enhancing security, including making the gauges less visible when they are in open bed trucks.
The activity of the sources are: Am-241/Be (40 millicuries) and Cs-137 (8 millicuries).
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.