ENS 50755
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
06:00 Jan 21, 2015 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Missing 10 Millicurie Cs-137 Source |
| Event Description | The following information was received from the State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Assessment Division via fax:
On 11/21/2014, Berthold Technologies reported that Morehouse Bioenergies, LLC called to replace a density gauge source, 10 mCi Cs-137, for a gauge they were installing on a process. However, Berthold Technologies had sold and shipped the whole unit to BioEnergies in March 2014. The reorder peaked the interest of Berthold Technologies who notified the LDEQ. Attempts to reach Drax Biomass International, Inc., the radiation responsible company and owners of Morehouse Bioenergies, LLC, were unsuccessful on numerous occasions. Berthold Technologies supplied shipping documents, quarterly distribution records and signed records of receipts for the source/gauge. The record of receipt was signed and transferred back to the construction foreman and the site on March 25, 2014. The location of the source from March to November 2014, is unknown and continues to be a mystery. This site is a wood yard for manufacturing wooden pellets. Its location is in the deep woods of north Louisiana and is only accessible from the state of Arkansas. The scintillation detector has been installed, but the box with the Cs-137 source is nowhere to be found. All communication with Drax Biomass International, Inc. is done by remote access and usually by return phone call. The gauge was a Berthold Technologies unit shielding Model LB 7440-F-CR, Serial Number 37625-11972. The source was 10 mCi of Cs-137 serial number 0038/13. Event Location: The Morehouse Bioenergies, 7070 Carl Road, Bastrop, LA 71220. This was a construction site for a wood pellet plant. An investigator made a site visit, but there was only a person with Haskell Contractors to interview. Event Type: This was a loss of control incident that has not been resolved to this date. The freight company delivered the gauge to the site and it has since disappeared. This incident is considered still open. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Radiation Assessment report number: LA-150003, T160317. 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 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Morehouse Bioenergies, Llc Bastrop, Louisiana (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | GL-2379 |
| Organization: | Louisiana Radiation Protection Div |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+56.05 h2.335 days <br />0.334 weeks <br />0.0768 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Joe Noble 14:03 Jan 23, 2015 |
| NRC Officer: | Jeff Herrera |
| Last Updated: | Jan 23, 2015 |
| 50755 - NRC Website | |
Morehouse Bioenergies, Llc with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 507552015-01-21T06:00:00021 January 2015 06:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Missing 10 Millicurie Cs-137 Source 2015-01-21T06:00:00 | |