The following information was received from the Radiation Safety Officer (
RSO) at the
Environmental Protection Agency (
EPA), Region 8 via telephone:
On 12/13/21, the RSO received notification reporting a missing shipment containing a Ludlum Model 192 survey instrument. The survey instrument contains a 1 microCi Cs-137 source and was scheduled for calibration at a facility in Sweetwater, TX. The common carrier reported that the incorrect shipping label was placed on the survey instrument's package and sent to an unknown location. The common carrier is conducting an investigation to determine the location of the survey meter. The last location of the survey meter was in Hutchins, TX.
- * * UPDATE ON 12/27/21 AT 1350 EST FROM STEVEN MERRITT TO KERBY SCALES * * *
On 12/22/21, the common carrier recovered the lost survey instrument and delivered it to the calibration facility on 12/23/21. The package was intact and not damaged. The RSO contacted NRC Region 4 personnel.
Notified R4DO (Werner); R4 (Wardrobe), ILTAB, NMSS Events Notification, and Mexico 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