This is a summary of information received from the state of
Nebraska via phone call:
On July 2, 2019, at approximately 1330 CDT, the licensee, Mid-State Engineering and Testing, lost a CPN-International MC Series Protaprobe gauge with 10 mCi Cs-137 and 50 mCi Am/Be-241 sources. This gauge is believed to be lost somewhere between Aurora and Columbus, Nebraska on the route that includes highways 14 and 30. The truck's tail gate was not closed causing the gauge to fall out of the truck. The licensee has attempted to locate the gauge but so far has been unsuccessful. The Nebraska State Patrol has been notified along with the Platte County Sheriff department. This was reported to the State of Nebraska Health and Human Services Agency at 1645 CDT. The State will be issuing a follow up written report later.
- * * UPDATE ON 7/3/2019 AT 1758 EDT FROM JULIA SCHMITT TO ANDREW WAUGH * * *
This is a summary of information received from the state of Nebraska via phone:
On July 3, 2019, the gauge was found by a member of the public and retrieved by the licensee. The gauge does not appear to be damaged.
Notified R4DO (Haire), NMSS Events (email), and ILTAB (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