The following is a synopsis of information received via email from the state of California:
On 07/22/19, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services contacted the Radiologic Health Branch (RHB) to report an incident with a damaged moisture-density gauge at a temporary jobsite. The gauge involved is a CPN, Model MC3, S/N M39505008 containing 10 mCi of Cs-137 and 50 mCi of Am-241. The user backed up his truck into the gauge causing the probe to break off. When the user attempted to retrieve the source it became loose from the rest of the gauge assembly. The area was cordoned off and sandbags were placed on top of the gauge for shielding. The vendor, Instrotek, was located too far away to retrieve the source, but provided the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) instructions on how to place the source in a shielded container. After the source was placed inside a Type A container the RSO measured 0.2mR/hr at one meter. The damaged gauge has been transported to the vendor for disposal. The RHB will be following up on this investigation.
California 5010 Number: 072219