The licensee reported 108
Tritium exit signs are unaccounted for and are considered lost and unrecoverable. The signs were used at various locations where Visteon, an auto parts supplier, has outlet stores. Based upon conversations with the NRC, the licensee has spent approximately three weeks attempting to account and locate the whereabouts of the 108
Tritium exit signs without success. The licensee did account for one sign with 9.5 curies of
Tritium and 4 other signs with 11.5 curies of
Tritium. The licensee has spoken to NRC employees A. McIntosh and K. Lambert regarding the issue.
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.
This source is not amongst those sources or devices identified by the
IAEA Code of Conduct for the Safety & Security of Radioactive Sources to be of concern from a radiological standpoint. Therefore is it being categorized as a less than Category 3 source