PNO-III-97-050, on 970517,Am-241 Source Discovered During Scrap Yard Search.Licensee Placed Source in Secured Storage Pending Determination of Source Mfg.Nrc Region III Currently Investigating Source Origin
| ML20141D901 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 03017951 |
| Issue date: | 05/20/1997 |
| From: | Andrea Kock, Phillips N NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PNO-III-97-050, PNO-III-97-50, NUDOCS 9705200232 | |
| Download: ML20141D901 (1) | |
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,, May 20. 1997 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PN0-III-97-050 This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by Region III staff (Lisle. Illinois) on this date.
Facility Licensee Emergency Classification R.M. WESTER AND ASSOCIATES Notification of Unusual Event R.M. Wester And Associates-Alert St. Peters.. Missouri Site Area Emergency License No: 21-20091-01 General Emergency X Not Applicable
Subject:
AMERICIUM-241 SOURCE DISCOVERED DURING SCRAP YARD SEARCH On May 17, 1997, the licensee notified NRC Region III (Chicago) that during a search at the Rimco Scrap Metal Processors. St. Louis, Missouri, an americium-241 (Am-241) source was found. The licensee was at the scrap yard searching for Anheuser-Busch Inc.'s two missing level gauges (reported in PNO-III-97049). The au-241 source found by the licensee is of unidentified origin.
The source, which contains approx bately 0.236 millicuries of Am-241.
apparently was leaking. Removable contamination of 2.000 disintegrations per minute (dpm) was found on '.ne source. This amount of removable contamination is below the regulatory level required to be reported to the NRC. The soil surrounding the source, collected by the licensee, contained approximately 30 dpm of contamination. No other contamination was identified at the site.
The licensee placed the source in secured storage pending determination of the source's manufacturer. Once the source's manufacturer has been identified, proper disposal of the source will take place.
NRC Region III is currently investigating the source's origin.
1 The State of Missouri and the NRC Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards have been notified. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed by licensee management.
The licensee notified the Operations Center of this event at 4:12 p.m.
(CDT) on May 17. 1997. This information is current as of 2:00 p.m. (CDT) on May 19, 1997.
Contact:
MONTE PHILLIPS ANDRE K0CK (630)829-9806 (630)829-9863 h/
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9705200232 970520 b
-I 97-050 PDR