ENS 46225
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
06:00 Sep 2, 2010 | |
| Title | Misplaced Button Sources |
| Event Description | On 9/2/2010, the licensee concluded that they were unable to account for two (2) Pu-239 solid sources that are about the size of a quarter each. Each source is estimated to weight about 1 gm with a source strength of 60 milliCuries and is in a non-dispersible form. The licensee noted that these sources were missing as a result of a normal inventory and leak test procedure on 8/19/10. Since that time the licensee has conducted an intensive search for the material both visually and using detection instrumentation but was unable to locate the material.
The licensee discovered that the lost sources were last checked out of their storage location as part of a group of 10 such sources in April 2010. In July 2010 records indicate that only 8 of 10 sources were checked out since only 8 were available at the time. The licensee has restricted access to the sources and implemented additional controls for being able to check out the sources that include using a two man rule.
As of 2/11/11 at approximately 1710 EST, the licensee has formally declared the two plutonium button sources lost. The licensee stated that following extensive searching the sources are considered lost. The licensee notes that it has been in contact with responsible staff at NRC Region 4 and that the NRC had sent inspectors to the facility on October 4 and October 18, 2010. The licensee will continue to stress an awareness of the missing sources to personnel and emphasize continued vigilance for finding the sources. The licensee has not reached any conclusion as to what happened to the lost sources. R4DO (Clark), FSME (McConnell), and ILTAB (Hahn) notified.
The two missing plutonium sources have been found inside a source vault mixed in with other radioactive materials in storage for decay purposes. Notified R4DO(O'Keefe), FSME(Michalak), and ILTAB(Johnson). 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 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 |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Idaho State University Pocatello, Idaho (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | 1127380-01 |
| Organization: | Idaho State University |
| Reporting | |
| 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(i) | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+9.75 h0.406 days <br />0.058 weeks <br />0.0134 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Richard Brey 15:45 Sep 2, 2010 |
| NRC Officer: | Pete Snyder |
| Last Updated: | Apr 6, 2011 |
| 46225 - NRC Website | |
Idaho State University with 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(i) | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 530122017-10-13T06:00:00013 October 2017 06:00:00
[Table view]10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(i) Lost or Missing Material ENS 462252010-09-02T06:00:0002 September 2010 06:00:00 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(i) Misplaced Button Sources 2017-10-13T06:00:00 | |