The following report was received by the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via phone and email:
On May 9, 2025, the Agency was notified that three generally licensed gas chromatographs (GCs) containing 15 mCi of Ni-63, each, could not be located. These are IAEA Category 5 devices that are not likely to be dangerous and cannot cause permanent damage to an individual, even if dispersed. The loss is reportable under 32 Illinois Administrative Code 340.1210 and will be reported to the NRC within 30 days.
Office of Nuclear Safety - Radioactive Materials emailed 272 general licensees as part of our annual effort to verify accountability of these devices. The laboratory director replied on behalf of Grace Analytical Laboratory stating that the company had a buyout in 2022. The three generally licensed Ni-63 containing GCs on their inventory were not on the buyout purchase and were missing. Two of the GC's are Hewlett-Packard model 19233-1995 with the following serial numbers: L2580 and L1574. The third GC is a Linc Quantum Analytics, model number G23974, serial number U1308.
Pending appropriate enforcement. This is considered closed.
Illinois Item Number: IL250019
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