The following report was received from the
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services via email:
The RSO [Radiation Safety Officer for International Paper Company], first noticed the missing FNG [fixed nuclear gauge] after the renovation of an older chute and replacement by the new metal chute. The older scrap parts had been taken to Southern Metals in Wilmington, NC scrapyard. The six month inventory was due at the time and the specific date of the inventory check was January 5, 2016. Several rechecks have been made within the storage areas where other gauges are stored and secured and contacts with the metal chute manufacturer, ICBS Group, and the scrapyard have been made, without a trace of the gauge.
Source/Radioactive Material: Cs137, 9 mCi; Thermo Measure Tech, source model 57157C
Device: Thermo Measure Tech, gauge model 5192 SN# B3195
State inspectors [North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services] will be conducting a reactive on site investigation tomorrow (1/14/2016) to determine causes and if any corrective actions have been implemented. Our Agency [North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services] will also be visiting the scrapyard where old licensee parts were shipped in the event the gauge was sent there by accident. Portal monitors and scrap material will be checked for functionality and presence of heightened radiation, respectively.
NC Report ID No.: NC160003
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