The following report was received from the
Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via email:
On June 30, 2021, the Agency was notified by the licensee's radiation safety officer (RSO) that a Troxler model 3440P was stolen from a truck parked overnight at a technician's home. The gauge contains a 40 milliCurie americium - 241 source and an 8 milliCurie cesium - 137 source. The technician had taken the gauge home on June 29, 2021. The gauge was inside a locked transport container that was located inside a locked metal container which was chained with two independent chains and locked to the back of the truck. The chains were cut and the metal container was stolen. The technician went to their truck at 0530 [CDT] hours on June 30, 2021, and discovered the theft. The technician spoke with neighbors that told him their dogs were barking at around 0230 [CDT] hours, and he suspects this may have been when the gauge was stolen. The RSO stated the operating arm was locked in the shielded position and that local law enforcement [Fort Worth Police] was notified.
Texas Incident Number: 9862
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