Event Notification Report for November 11, 2016
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
EVENT REPORTS FOR
11/10/2016 - 11/11/2016
EVENT NUMBERS
52365
Agreement State
Event Number: 52365
Rep Org: ILLINOIS EMERGENCY MGMT. AGENCY
Licensee: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Region: 3
City: URBANA State: IL
County:
License #: IL-01271-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: C. GIBB VINSON
HQ OPS Officer: JEFF HERRERA
Licensee: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Region: 3
City: URBANA State: IL
County:
License #: IL-01271-01
Agreement: Y
Docket:
NRC Notified By: C. GIBB VINSON
HQ OPS Officer: JEFF HERRERA
Notification Date: 11/14/2016
Notification Time: 16:26 [ET]
Event Date: 11/11/2016
Event Time: 00:00 [CST]
Last Update Date: 11/14/2016
Notification Time: 16:26 [ET]
Event Date: 11/11/2016
Event Time: 00:00 [CST]
Last Update Date: 11/14/2016
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
10 CFR Section:
Person (Organization):
HIRONORI PETERSON (R3DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICA (EMAI)
HIRONORI PETERSON (R3DO)
NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICA (EMAI)
AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST AM-241 SOURCE
The following report was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency via email:
"On October 14, 2016, the licensee's RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] called to report a lost Am-241, 45 mCi source that was part of a wave generator manufactured on 12/2/1982. The manufacturer and model number of the wave generator and radioactive component are not known. It was noted as lost during a recent inventory. An exhaustive search of nearby laboratories and waste areas did not reveal any clues of its whereabouts. During a radioactive material inventory in March 2016, records show this source was identified and accounted for. Access to the storage room is strictly controlled. It is only speculation to how the source became missing. First, it is possible that the source was mistakenly shipped as part of the University's participation in the Source Collection and Threat Reduction (SCATR) program. A vendor for the SCATR program removed nearly 200 sealed sources in December 2015. It is possible that the Am-241 source was mistakenly included in this shipment and the March 2016 inventory was in error. Another possibility is that the source was misplaced by staff during the summer clean-up of 2016. Personnel were questioned about this likelihood but there was no recollection of moving or discarding of such a unit. Inquiries with staff and SCATR are ongoing."
IL Item Number: IL 16012
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
The following report was received from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency via email:
"On October 14, 2016, the licensee's RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] called to report a lost Am-241, 45 mCi source that was part of a wave generator manufactured on 12/2/1982. The manufacturer and model number of the wave generator and radioactive component are not known. It was noted as lost during a recent inventory. An exhaustive search of nearby laboratories and waste areas did not reveal any clues of its whereabouts. During a radioactive material inventory in March 2016, records show this source was identified and accounted for. Access to the storage room is strictly controlled. It is only speculation to how the source became missing. First, it is possible that the source was mistakenly shipped as part of the University's participation in the Source Collection and Threat Reduction (SCATR) program. A vendor for the SCATR program removed nearly 200 sealed sources in December 2015. It is possible that the Am-241 source was mistakenly included in this shipment and the March 2016 inventory was in error. Another possibility is that the source was misplaced by staff during the summer clean-up of 2016. Personnel were questioned about this likelihood but there was no recollection of moving or discarding of such a unit. Inquiries with staff and SCATR are ongoing."
IL Item Number: IL 16012
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