ML20249A794

PNS-78-010:on 780308,licensee Notified Region V That Salinas,California Police Dept Informed Them That Woman, Identified as Former Wife of Lab Technician,Employed by Vallecitos Nuclear Ctr Attempted to Sell Some Metal Discs

ML20249A794
Person / Time
Site:	07000754
Issue date:	03/10/1978
From:	Haller N, Mccormick R, William Ward NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:
References
PNS-78-010, PNS-78-10, NUDOCS 9806180247
Download: ML20249A794 (1)

Text

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ypg g 1;iD r- - G---(5-f gg PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION 6, v

v, March 10,1978 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF SAFEGUARDS EVENT-- PNS-78-10 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE national security or public interest significance. The information presented is as initially received without verification or evaluation and is basically all that is known by IE staff as of this date.

FACILITY: General Electric Company Vallecitos Nuclear Center Pleasanton, California DN: 70-754

SUBJECT:

RECOVERED METAL DISCS POSSIBLY CONTAINING RADI0 ACTIVE MATERIAL At approximately 3:30 p.m., March 8,1978, the licensee notified Region V (San Francisco) that they had been contacted by the Salinas, California Police Department which informed them that a woman, identified as the i former wife of a laboratory technician currently employed at GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC), had attempted to sell some small metal discs which she claimed contained platinum to a pawn broker in Salinas. The pawn broker in attempting to verify her claim apparently developed the  !

impression that the discs contained plutonium and contactad the Salinas Police Department. The woman when contacted by the police indicated that the discs came from VNC.

~ The woman when subsequently contacted by GE advised that she had sold 25 I of the discs to a precious metals shop. The shop has made the discs available to VNC for appropriate analysis and measurement. Preliminary measurements indicate that only two of the 25 have trace amounts of radioactivity with the rest yielding no detectable radiation. GE is conducting an investigation'of this matter. I Region V investigators are investigating the matter.

The, Information Assessment Team has been notified. k The State of California has been notified. No press interest has been noted or is anticipated. No press releases are planned by either NRC h or the licensee.

Contact:

WJWard, IE x28080 .tGMcCormick, IE x28080 NMHaller, IE x27650 Distribution: Transmitted H St 2.,l k Chairman Hendrie Commissioner Bradford Commissioner Kennedy S. J. Chilk, SECY C. C. Kamerer, CA Commissioner Gilinsky (For Distribution)

Transmitted: MNBB 2 I[ P B1dg.2 i f3 E. Volge IE L. V. Gossick, EDO E. G. Case, NRR Region [nau 2 : f(o l S. H. Hanauer, EDO  !

J. J. Fouchard, PA SS Bldg l'8 f (MAIL) i l .R. Hartfield, MIPC C. V. Smith, NMSS T. J. McTiernan, 0IA

.3 R. G. Ryan, OSP R. Minogue, SD l

(m H. K. Shapar, ELD PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION 9006180247 780310 PDR I&E PNS-78-010 PDR -

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