The following information from the state of
Utah Division of Radiation Control (Division) was received by email:
A licensee gauge operator lost/misplaced a Troxler portable nuclear density gauge model 3411 (SN 12109), [containing 8 mCi of Cs and 40 mCi of Am-Be]. He claims he arrived at the licensee laboratory and signed his gauge out on the shipping log at 0615 [MST]. He then took his gauge within the transportation case outside of the secured storage room and set it down on the floor inside the laboratory next to the storage room and proceeded to load additional equipment into his truck parked out back. He was outside loading this equipment and was having a conversation with another employee. The other employee said he had to leave and the gauge operator said he had to leave also and got in his truck and drove to his first project at 0630 [MST]. At his first project site in Riverton, he then realized he had forgotten the gauge at the lab. At 0730 [MST] he left the project and drove back to the lab to discover that the gauge was not there on the floor at approximately 0830 [MST]. He searched the lab, storage room, and questioned lab personal. The RSO was informed of this situation at 0850 [MST].
The licensee has notified law enforcement of the missing gauge. The Division is waiting for additional information from the licensee.
UT Event Report ID No.: UT-21-0007
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