The following information was received via facsimile:
On August 13, 2013, the Colorado State Department Public Health and Environment received a phone call from Western Metals Recycling indicating a need for a special permit to return a shipment of scrap metal flagged as containing radioactive materials by portal monitor alarms. The shipment originated at Baker Hughes of Brighton, Colorado (CO RML#678-01). The DOT Special Permit (#CO-CO-13-01) was issued on August 13, 2013, with a reading of 0.04 mrem/hr on the outside of the shipment.
On August 15, 2013, the rolloff was returned to Baker Hughes, where they determined a number of valves and seats from a fluid end of a well fracking site contained the contamination. The Baker Hughes staff tracked the parts back to a site worked in conjunction with ProTechnics (CO RML#545-01) with radioactive tracer material. ProTechnics was contacted and offered to take possession of the material. Baker Hughes reported valves with readings ranging from 0.02 mrem/hr to 1 mrem/hr on contact.
On August 19, 2013, the Colorado State Department Public Health and Environment's Health Physicists visited the Brighton location of Baker Hughes, where the material was being held, to meet with staff from both Baker Hughes and ProTechnics. The material was identified as Ir-192, using an Identifinder 2 detector, with a dose rate of 0.2 mrem/hr on contact with one of the valves. It was decided ProTechnics would take possession of all parts contaminated with radioactive material in order to decontaminate and store the waste for decay. An amendment or provisional license was necessary for either Western Metals Recycling or Baker Hughes.
On August 26, 2013, the Colorado State Department Public Health and Environment received the survey reports from the Thompsen well site for the dates of concern. The survey reports showed no contamination was detected
On August 30, 2013, the Colorado State Department Public Health and Environment received a full report from Protechnics indicating approximately 0.026 mCi of Ir-192 was recovered from the contaminated equipment and will be held for decay at their Fruita facilities.
A Notice of Violation will be issued in response to this event.
Colorado State Incident Report I13-09.