ENS 56335
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
06:00 Sep 26, 2022 | |
| Title | Sealed Source Gauges Involved in a Fire |
| Event Description | The following information was provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email:
The Agency was contacted on February 3, 2023, by Jiva Resources in Sauget, IL to advise that five Cs-137 gauges had been impacted by a fire in September 2022. A Jiva Resources representative called and initially reported the five radioactive gauges as stolen 'in the last week.' When Agency staff returned his call that same morning, the devices had been located but were identified as having been involved in a fire back in September 2022. While the container (sealed drum) holding the gauges was impacted by the fire, it is unclear if there was any impact to the gauges. The devices include two Ohmart model SH-F1 gauges (serial numbers 2879GK and 1652GK) and three Vega model SR-A gauges (serial numbers 2174GK, 2878GK, and 63008). All contain 20 millicuries of Cs-137 except for serial number 63008 which contains 30 millicuries of Cs-137. It should be noted the SH-F1 housings are identified in the Sealed Source and Device Registry as being fireproof (rated above 800 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes) while the SR-A housings are lead-filled cylindrical steel shells, which are noted for retaining the source should the lead shielding melt out. Exposure rates should be less than 5 mR/hr at one foot - which will be confirmed by Agency staff. Leak tests will be conducted and source security assessed. Additional regulatory requirements regarding proper disposal, storage, leak testing and reporting will be investigated as well.
The following information was provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email: Agency staff attempted to perform a reactionary inspection the morning of February 6, 2023, to inspect the condition of the five radioactive gauges identified above. This effort confirmed that the registrant did in fact lose accountability of the gauges as it appears they were stolen at some point in the last four months. The last known location was in Sauget, IL in September 2022 when that storage location was involved in a fire. Since that time, the building has reportedly been accessible to looters. Local scrap yards and public safety partners will be notified. Illinois Incident Number: IL230002 Notified: R3DO (Szwarc); NMSS Events Notification and ILTAB via email.
The following information was provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email: On 3/7/23 the property owner (39N properties) was contacted to coordinate a site visit. The Agency was advised that on 2/23/2023, all assets were transferred to JET Resources by matter of court decision. The Agency staff coordinated with the new property owners and performed a site visit on 3/30/2023. The Agency staff performed surveys for nearly 2.5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br /> to attempt to locate the gauges. While it is possible the gauges may still be buried beneath debris, surveys on the accessible surface did not show evidence of the gauges. Sodium iodide surveys performed throughout the site yielded count rates that were indistinguishable from background. The area is secured and looting does not appear to be an issue as initially reported. Site cleanup is ongoing and the new owners will coordinate with the Agency if anything suspect is located. The contractor has radiation detection equipment. Enforcement regarding this matter is ongoing. While this report will be updated with any developments, all available evidence indicates these gauges are no longer on the site and were either stolen or improperly transferred by the previous owners. This matter is considered closed by the Agency unless additional information becomes available. Notified: R3DO (Orlikowski); NMSS Events Notification, NMSS Regional Coordinator (Rivera-Capel), and ILTAB via email.
The following information was provided by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (the Agency) via email: ONS-RAM [Office of Nuclear Safety - Radioactive Materials] was contacted by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on 12/6/23, to advise that they had discovered what appeared to be generally licensed gauges, reported as lost/abandoned in February of this year at Jive Resources in Sauget, IL. IEMA-OHS [Illinois Emergency Management Agency - Office of Homeland Security] staff responded and recovered three generally licensed gauges containing 20-30 mCi of Cs-137 each. The gauges were found corroded, partially submerged, and had been involved in a fire. Field surveys/wipes did not show evidence of leakage, but ash samples and wipes will be submitted to the lab for confirmation. Two gauges remain unaccounted for, but were not located after additional searches/surveys of the site. The following gauges were recovered: Vega Americas Model SR-A gauges with S/Ns 2174GK, 2878GK, and 63008. Notified: R3DO (McCraw); NMSS Events Notification, NMSS Regional Coordinator (Brenneman), and ILTAB via email. 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 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Jiva Resources Sauget, Illinois (NRC Region 3) | |
| License number: | GL 9223880 |
| Organization: | Illinois Emergency Mgmt. Agency |
| Reporting | |
| Agreement State | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+3127.65 h130.319 days <br />18.617 weeks <br />4.284 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Gary Forsee 14:39 Feb 3, 2023 |
| NRC Officer: | Bill Gott |
| Last Updated: | Dec 11, 2023 |
| 56335 - NRC Website | |
Jiva Resources with Agreement State | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 563352022-09-26T06:00:00026 September 2022 06:00:00
[Table view]Agreement State Sealed Source Gauges Involved in a Fire 2022-09-26T06:00:00 | |