The following was received from the State of
Texas via email:
On January 16, 2014, the licensee notified the Agency [State of Texas] that it had lost a Troxler Model 3440 moisture/density gauge containing one 40 millicurie americium-241/beryllium source and one 8 millicurie cesium-137 source. One of the licensee's technicians left a construction job site approximately 25 miles west of Austin just off of Hwy. 71 and was driving back to the licensee's office. Near the intersection of Burnet Road and Waterford Center Boulevard in Austin, the technician saw a bucket had fallen out of the back of the truck so he stopped to retrieve it. At that time he saw the tailgate was down and the gauge was missing. He immediately called the job site superintendent. The construction site area and part of Hwy. 71 were searched but the gauge was not found. The licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) reported that the technician stated he had secured the gauge and closed the tailgate before leaving the site. The licensee will notify local law enforcement and will continue to look for the gauge. The Agency [State of Texas] has notified several area fire departments and the Texas Association of Pawnbrokers. More information will be provided as it is obtained per SA-300.
Texas Incident Number: I-9146
- * * UPDATE FROM ROBERT FREE TO CHARLES TEAL ON 1/17/14 AT 1705 EST * * *
The gauge was found at the entrance of the construction site by a construction supervisor. The gauge was not damaged. The licensee has possession of the gauge.
Notified R4DO (Kellar), FSME Event Resource via email, and Mexico via fax.
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