During the process of
license renewal of a nuclear density
gauge, the owner of King Company, Inc. could not find the density
gauge in the storage location in the company warehouse. The time frame the density
gauge was lost could not be determined and is currently being investigated.
The gauge model, activity and quantity of sources could not be provided by the licensee when the report was made.
We [the licensee] have searched file archives, and were unable to find the original purchase documents for Device Key 497158, however, we did find the purchase documents for the Device Key 497157. We believe these devices with purchase dates of 5/15/1993 and 8/27/1995, contained identical components." The "identical" equipment was a digital density gauge with a 2 Ci Cs-137 source.
Whereabouts of the Device Key 497158, Serial No. B880, are unknown.
- * * RETRACTION ON 6/21/16 AT 0723 EDT FROM RANDY KING TO BETHANY CECERE * * *
The following is a synopsis of information received via a telephone conversation.
When this condition was initially reported, the database for the original supplier of the gauge, TN Technologies, was unavailable. Following a review of the database, when it became available, it was discovered that this gauge (Device Key 497158) was never sold to the licensee and was never in their possession. According to the TN Technologies database, Device Key 497158 had been sold to another company outside the United States.
Notified R1DO (Dentel) and R3DO (Orlikowski). Notified NMSS Event Notification Group and CNSC (Canada) by email.
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