The following was received from the
Texas Department of State Health Services (the Department) via email:
On September 6, 2023, the Department was notified of a lost exit sign but did not get detailed information regarding the lost source until September 19, 2023. The licensee reported a tritium exit sign was removed to accommodate a facility renovation, placed in a construction staging area for later disposition, and subsequently was unable to be located on August 15, 2023. The licensee conducted an internal investigation which concluded on September 6, 2023, at which point the Radiation Safety Officer declared that the tritium exit sign was lost. The sign was purchased in 1998 with an initial activity of 25 curies. It is a Betalux, Model SRB S/N 237918. The licensee reported that the integrity of the sign was not compromised and that there is no exposure risk. The Department has requested additional information from the licensee. The investigation into this event is on-going. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300.
Texas Incident Number: 10051
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