On April 28, 2014, at approximately 0845
AM [PDT], [the licensee pending ARSO], an authorized user of radioactive
gauges of Twining Laboratories of Southern
California, Inc.,
RML [California Radioactive Materials License] #7780-37 located in San Bernardino, CA, contacted
RHB Brea [Radiation Health Branch located in Brea, CA] concerning the moisture/density
gauge,
CPN model, MC-1, serial number MD10606201 (
Cs-137, 0.370 GBq,
Am-241, 1.85 GBq) that had been
stolen from a temporary storage/construction site in San Bernardino County on the I-15 North freeway at the top of the Cajon Pass at the Oak Hills Road exit.
[The licensee pending ARSO] arrived at the temporary storage area to begin work on Monday morning and noticed that the construction facility had been broken into and that other tools and equipment had been taken as well as the radioactive gauge, which was charging while locked in a gang box which was removed in it's entirety once the construction fence and locked cargo container were breached. [The licensee pending ARSO] has contacted the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department which has filled out a theft report which will be copied and sent to RHB Brea as part of this report.
The RSO of Twining Laboratories of Southern California, Inc., is currently on vacation and [the licensee pending ARSO] is receiving assistance and recommendations from another RSO of Twining Laboratories of Southern California, Inc., RML #6872-19 located in Long Beach, CA. [The licensee pending ARSO] is contacting pawn shops and landfills in the area to determine if he can locate the stolen radioactive gauge in advance of utilizing local papers to attempt to retrieve the stolen gauge. The investigation will continue to determine if the radioactive gauge can be recovered in a reasonable time frame.
CA 5010 Number: 042814
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