The following was received via email from the state of Texas:
On February 27, 2019, the Agency [Texas Department of State Health Services] confirmed that access to an oil field equipment wash building had been restricted since February 14, 2019, due to radioactive material contamination.
On February 11, 2019, a load of waste from the licensee's facility had set off the radiation alarm at the landfill. The isotope was identified as antimony-124. The load was returned to the licensee's facility later that afternoon. On February 12, 2019, the licensee began surveying and investigating, starting with the dumpster and expanding to other areas. The contamination was found to be on piece/part of a fracking pump. On February 13, 2019, contamination was identified on a fracking pump trailer. On February 14, 2019, surveys identified contamination in the trench of one of the bays in the equipment wash building.
Access to the building was restricted that day and is still restricted. The licensee's initial sampling from the trench identified antimony-124 and scandium-46. They are waiting on analyses of a second sampling of the trench sludge after water was removed/collected, and they will be sampling the traps/separators between the trench and the sanitary sewer system.
The licensee is not licensed for, nor did it use, these tracer materials. Their equipment was being used on a well site at which another licensee had performed a tracer study while the equipment was in use. The tracer study licensee has been involved in some of the surveying and with the collection of contaminated equipment items they took possession of to be held or disposed in accordance with their license.
An investigation into this event is ongoing. More information will be provided as it is obtained in accordance with SA-300.
Texas Incident #: I-9656