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| Start date | Reporting criterion | Title | Event description | System | LER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENS 56986 | 21 February 2024 08:00:00 | Agreement State | Discovery of an Orphan Radioactive Source | The following information was provided by the Washington State Department of Health via email: Port Townsend Paper Corporation sent an old lead-lined tank to a scrap yard. Unknown radioactivity was then detected in the tank at the scrap yard. The unknown radioactive material was wrapped in lead from the tank by workers at the scrap yard and sent back to Port Townsend Paper Corporation. The Radiation Safety Officer at Port Townsend Paper Corporation measured 0.33 mR/hour on the outside of the lead. The lead and the unknown radioactive material were temporarily stored in an area of the paper mill that is usually unoccupied. An inspector from the Washington State Department of Health plans to go to the Port Townsend Paper Corporation in a few days to investigate. It is suspected that the unknown radioactivity is likely to be naturally occurring radioactive material which can build up over time in piping, tanks, etc. at paper mill facilities. All the licensee's sealed sources are accounted for, so the unknown radioactivity is unlikely to be from one of them, but the inspector will check for that possibility. WA Event Number: WA-24-005 |