The following information was received by e-mail:
On November 1, 2010, at [1015 PDT] the authorized user from Soil Surveys, Inc., License Number 3428-27, called RHB [Radiologic Health Branch] Richmond, [CA] to notify that a moisture/density gauge was missing from his residence located at Salinas, CA. On October 29, 2010, authorized user checked out the nuclear gauge, Troxler, Model TEL, 3440, S/N 18026 from the permanent storage location to be used on October 30, 2010. The gauge was stored inside the company's transportation truck and parked at the residence indicated above, until November 1, 2010. As the authorized user approached the company's truck the early morning of November 1, 2010, he found out that the two locks that were used to fasten the nuclear gauge case to the bed of the truck were cut with a bolt cutter, and the nuclear gauge was removed with its transportation case from the company's transportation vehicle.
The licensee notified the Salinas Police Department of the incident.
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. For additional information go to http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf
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