ML19256C737
| ML19256C737 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/13/1979 |
| From: | Higginbotham L, Metzger J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| 21-18633-01, 21-18633-1, PNO-79-331, NUDOCS 7910110725 | |
| Download: ML19256C737 (1) | |
Text
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PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION August 13, 1979 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE--PNO-79-331 h(
This oreliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of an event of
()
POSSIBLE safety or public interest sionificance.
The information i
presented is as -initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff on this date.
Licensee:
City of Saginaw, Michigan License No. 21-18633-01 Subiect:
VANDALISM OF SOIL TESTING GAUGE On Friday, August 10, 1979, a Troxler Model 3411 Compac surface moisture density gauge containing 10 millicuries of Cs-137 and ~50 millicuries of Am-241 was vandalized at a road construction site in Saginaw, Michigan.
A worker using the gauge walked about 200 feet away from the gauge to observe the laying of asphalt.
When he turned around, the gauge was gone.
When he started to look for it, he observed several children playing with it behind concrete pillars.
They saw him, dropped the gauge and scattered.
The electronic scaler was smashed and some electronic parts were missing.
The sources remained intact.
A survey was made by the local county health department but no contamination or abnormal levels of radioactivity was detected.
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The incident was reported to the Michigan State Police, the local police, and the local fire department.
A press release is not planned by the licensee or the NRC.
There could be publicity since several law enforce-ment agencies and the fire department received notification of the cccurrence.
The value of the damaged component is about $1200.
The children handling the gauge apparently received no more exposure than that normally present at the surface of the closed gauge.
Since they had the gauge only about five to ten minutes, the total dose received was probably less than one millirem.
Region III will conduct a special inspection of this license during the next scheduled trip through the area.
NRC, Region III (Chicago) received notification of this occurrence by telephone from the licensee at 4:00 p.m. (CDT), on August 10, 1979.
The Headquarters Duty Officer was notified at 4:15 p.m. (CDT) on August 10, 1979.
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Contact:
J. R. Metzger, IE x28188; L. B. Higginbotham, IE x28454 Distribution:
Transmitted H St Cnairman Hendrie Commissioner Bradford S. J. Chilk, SECY Commissioner Kennedy Commissioner Ahearne f'NC. C. Kammerer, CA pi g e % L g (For Distribution)
Commissioner Gilinsky ACRS L. V. Gossick, E00 fi. R. Denton, NRR Region TTT H. L. Ornstein, EDO R. C. DeYoung, NRR J. J. Fouchard, PA R. J. Mattson, NRR N. M. Haller, MPA D. Vassallo, NRR (MAIL)
R. G. Ryan, OSP D. Eisenhut, NRR J. J. Cummings, OIA H. K. Shapar, ELD SS Bldg R. Minogue, SD W. J. Dircks, NMSS S. Levine. RES
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