This event was reported by Digirad Imaging Solutions, Inc. that occurred at a client facility in Melrose, MA. Digirad Imaging Solutions is a mobile nuclear medicine company that provides imaging services at client facilities in MA. They are a licensee in
Massachusetts under State License Number 44-0362.
A Cobalt-57 flood source used for nuclear medicine camera imaging calibration was discovered to be missing. The source is 10 mCi (05/01/2015) in strength and is 8 inch x 8 inch in area. The source is typically stored in a leaded sleeve 12 inch x 12 inch in area. The date of discovery appears to be May 8, 2015, but the details are still uncertain at this point.
Digirad Imaging Solutions is providing a 30 day report of the incident shortly. The incident was reported to us [Massachutetts Radiation Control Program] on the day of this report to the NRC (6/2/2015).
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