The following was received via email from the
Massachusetts Radiation Control Program:
Atlas ATC of East Hartford, Connecticut (ATC) reported on February 2, 2022, that a Protec LPA-1 x-ray fluorescence instrument, serial number 1331, containing a cobalt-57 sealed source of up to 12 millicuries, was mistakenly transported by an employee from their East Hartford, Connecticut storage location to an asbestos work site, on February 1, 2022, located in Springfield, Massachusetts and that the instrument is missing.
ATC explained that the instrument was mistakenly transported to and not used at the Springfield, Massachusetts site because the site work was for asbestos analysis and not for lead paint analysis, and however may have somehow become missing at or near the Springfield, Massachusetts site, and that they will be searching the site for the missing instrument.
ATC further explained that they thought that the instrument may somehow be registered with state of Connecticut and however that they were not familiar with any general or specific license that may have been issued by U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding use or storage of the instrument, containing cobalt-57, in Connecticut.
The reporting requirement is a 30-day telephone report and is of 105 CMR 120.281(A)(2), stolen, lost, or missing licensed radioactive materials in aggregate quantity equal to or greater than 10 times quantity specified in 105 CMR 120.297, Appendix C.
The Agency considers this event to be open.
This event has been reported by the licensee as EN 55760.
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