The following report was received from the State of
Louisiana via phone:
On June 29, 2018 the Louisiana Radiation Protection Division was notified that an employee of Wood Material (a dredging company) stole a radiation device. The radiation device was subsequently sold by the employee to the ERM Southern Recycling center. The recycling center identified and recovered the device. The recycling center then performed a leak test on the device to confirm that the device was not leaking. The device was then isolated and secured in a drum by the recycling center.
The device is manufactured by Ronan Engineering and has a serial number of 211023A, but the activity is not known at this time.
A police report was filed on the employee who stole the device.
Louisiana has notified the NRC regional office.
- * * UPDATE ON 7/3/18 AT 0923 EDT FROM JAMES PATE TO BETHANY CECERE * * *
The following report was received from the State of Louisiana by email:
The gauge was a Ronan Engineering Flow Meter Gauge Model RLLI, Device S/N: 211023A, Source Model Number: CDC.700, Isotope: Cs-137 with Activity: 0.90 mCi.
The gauge was stolen by an employee from Wood Materials, 6148 River Road, New Orleans 70123. A police report was made & filed. The employee confessed to scraping the gauge for scrap metal. Employee terminated.
The gauge is secure at this time. Enforcement action will be taken on the licensee of the gauge for not securing the gauge. This matter is considered closed out.
Notified the R4DO (Miller), NMSS Events, and ILTAB.
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