The following information was received by email:
On 4/13/16 CPN Model MC Series gauge was left in marked licensee vehicle parked outside technician's home in Columbus at end of work day, reportedly properly secured in vehicle with two independent locking devices. Gauge contains 10 mCi Cs-137 and 50 mCi Am-241:Be sources.
Technician found gauge missing when came out to go to work on 4/14/16. Technician claims RSO was notified, RSO does not recall. No police report was filed and no report was made to ODH [Ohio Department of Health] at that time.
On 5/10/16, gauge was found in vacant lot during separate police investigation. Police called fire department HAZMAT unit. Transport case was not locked, but gauge rod was locked. Licensee was identified by paperwork in the transport case. Licensee was contacted by fire department to retrieve gauge. Licensee RSO took possession of gauge and returned it to office in Columbus.
On 5/11/16 licensee reported theft and recovery of gauge to ODH. ODH investigators visited site to determine cause of incident and reasons for lack of notifications.
Ohio Item Number: OH160003
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