ENS 52366
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
19:00 Nov 15, 2016 | |
| Title | Agreement State Report - Multiple Radium Painted Dials Found in Municipal Solid Waste |
| Event Description | The following information was reported by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email:
On November 15, 2016 a specifically licensed waste broker company reported the discovery of multiple (estimated 85) radium-painted dials within two loads of municipal solid waste. The items appear to be dials from U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard deck clocks. A few items appeared within clock housings, while most were loose. The waste broker indicated the items were all found contained within garbage bags and no further contamination was identified outside the bags. The items were placed inside two 5-gallon pails and will be secured on-site pending proper disposal. The estimated total activity was reported as 240 microCuries. This is a reportable incident under N.J.A.C. 7:28-6.1 (10 CFR 20.2201(a)(i)). NJDEP [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] is tracking this incident internally as incident ID# C621791 and C622346 (one for each waste load).
One truck which had been screened by the waste broker consultant was again rejected at a PA [Pennsylvania] landfill and returned to the facility. The consultant returned to the facility on 11/17/2016 and 11/18/2016 to more thoroughly scan the contents of both truck loads. NJDEP was present on 11/17/2016 to observe. Additional radium dials, movements and associated waste contents were isolated in three 30-gallon waste drums. The three drums and two pails will be secured at the waste facility in a sea van container with lock. An estimated total activity has not yet been provided by the consultant. Paperwork, dated in 1980s and mixed into the load, identified a possible responsible party in New York, which appears may no longer be in business. New York State Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection was informed of this by telephone on 11/18/2016. NJDEP has received responses from U.S. military contacts who are looking into the possibility of assisting with disposal of the materials. Notified R1DO (Bickett) and via E-mail NMSS Events Notification group.
The following update was received from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email: On May 12, 2017 the US Army Joint Munitions Command, Safety/Risk Assessment Directorate - Risk Assessment Division reported that their contractor had picked up the waste shipment on May 11th. The shipment was received by a waste broker in Pennsylvania; the final waste disposal site was identified as US Ecology in Grand View, Idaho." Notified the R1DO (Burritt), ILTAB (email), NMSS Events group (via 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 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Cardella Waste Services North Bergen, New Jersey (NRC Region 1) | |
| License number: | UNLICENSED FA |
| Organization: | Nj Rad Prot And Rel Prevention Pgm |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+-2.77 h-0.115 days <br />-0.0165 weeks <br />-0.00379 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | James Mccullough 16:14 Nov 15, 2016 |
| NRC Officer: | Jeff Herrera |
| Last Updated: | May 15, 2017 |
| 52366 - NRC Website | |
Cardella Waste Services with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 523662016-11-15T19:00:00015 November 2016 19:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Agreement State Report - Multiple Radium Painted Dials Found in Municipal Solid Waste 2016-11-15T19:00:00 | |