The following was received from the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
[A Troxler 3440 (SN 23106) containing not more than 333 MBq (9 mCi) of cesium-137 and 1.63 GBq (44 mCi) of americium-241:beryllium; or 2.44 MBq (66 microCi) of californium-252] was reported missing after a licensee was unable to account for it during a routine inventory check. The material was noticed missing at approximately 1000 MDT on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. The event was reported to the CDPHE at approximately 1700 on October 14, 2020.
No signs of a burglary at the facility are present. The last entry for the gauge in the utilization log is August 19, 2020. The licensee suspects that a former employee stole the gauge, the employee to last check-out the gauge was terminated on bad terms.
The licensee is in the process of reporting the theft to the local police.
- * * UPDATE ON 11/16/10 AT 1513 EST FROM DEREK BAILEY TO THOMAS KENDZIA * * *
The following was received from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email:
Following a police investigation the nuclear gauge was anonymously returned to the owner. On November 16, 2020, the missing nuclear density gauge was found chained to the fence at the Olsson office. It was discovered at 1015 MDT Olsson examined the gauge and found it to be in the proper original packaging with no apparent damage to the gauge's packaging, components, or sources of radiation. It was determined that the gauge was returned at approximately 2330 MDT November 15, 2020.
Notified the R4DO (Taylor), NMSS Events Notification (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