The following information was received from the
Massachusetts Radiation Control Program via email:
General licensee requested termination of GL registration G0038 on 9/13/12 noting that the registered material (two electron capture detectors [ECD]) had been shipped to another organization. Upon Agency [MA Radiation Control Program] inquiry, the receiving organization confirmed receiving only one ECD. The shipper stated the missing ECD had been physically removed from its original gas chromatograph several years earlier and was last known to be in a small cardboard box that was assumed to have been segregated during a lab cleanup and subsequently included in an overall lab equipment transfer to the receiving organization. Upon further investigation and review, the shipping organization stated on 12/20/12 that the ECD may have been inadvertently dispositioned during the lab cleanup. The ECD is a small metallic cylindrical object approximately less than one inch in diameter and four inches in length.
The Agency considers this event to be closed.
The electron capture detector is a Hewlett Packard Model G1223A (Serial Number K0118). The source contained less than 15 mCi Ni-63.
MA Event #: 130131.
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