Event Notification Report for November 15, 2016

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - MULTIPLE RADIUM PAINTED DIALS FOUND IN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

The following information was reported by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email:

"On November 15, 2016 a specifically licensed waste broker company reported the discovery of multiple (estimated 85) radium-painted dials within two loads of municipal solid waste. The items appear to be dials from U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard deck clocks. A few items appeared within clock housings, while most were loose. The waste broker indicated the items were all found contained within garbage bags and no further contamination was identified outside the bags. The items were placed inside two 5-gallon pails and will be secured on-site pending proper disposal. The estimated total activity was reported as 240 microCuries. This is a reportable incident under N.J.A.C. 7:28-6.1 (10 CFR 20.2201(a)(i)). NJDEP [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] is tracking this incident internally as incident ID# C621791 and C622346 (one for each waste load)."


* * * UPDATE FROM JAMES MCCULLOUGH TO DONALD NORWOOD AT 1550 EST ON 11/18/2016 * * *

"One truck which had been screened by the waste broker consultant was again rejected at a PA [Pennsylvania] landfill and returned to the facility. The consultant returned to the facility on 11/17/2016 and 11/18/2016 to more thoroughly scan the contents of both truck loads. NJDEP was present on 11/17/2016 to observe. Additional radium dials, movements and associated waste contents were isolated in three 30-gallon waste drums. The three drums and two pails will be secured at the waste facility in a sea van container with lock. An estimated total activity has not yet been provided by the consultant.

"Paperwork, dated in 1980s and mixed into the load, identified a possible responsible party in New York, which appears may no longer be in business. New York State Department of Health Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection was informed of this by telephone on 11/18/2016.

"NJDEP has received responses from U.S. military contacts who are looking into the possibility of assisting with disposal of the materials."

Notified R1DO (Bickett) and via E-mail NMSS Events Notification group.

* * * UPDATE AT 1222 EST ON 5/15/17 FROM JAMES MCCULLOUGH TO JEFF HERRERA * * *

The following update was received from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via email:

"On May 12, 2017 the US Army Joint Munitions Command, Safety/Risk Assessment Directorate - Risk Assessment Division reported that their contractor had picked up the waste shipment on May 11th. The shipment was received by a waste broker in Pennsylvania; the final waste disposal site was identified as US Ecology in Grand View, Idaho."

Notified the R1DO (Burritt), ILTAB (email), NMSS Events group (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

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOST INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY CAMERA

The following report was received from the New York State Department of Health via email:

"On 11/15/2016, an employee of Applied Inspection reported that an Industrial Radiography camera is missing/lost in transport. There was no source in the camera. The camera was being shipped by [a common carrier] to Industrial Nuclear Company in La Porte, TX to be resourced. According to the tracking number the last known location is Memphis, TN.

"The camera is a Sentinel (QSA Global), model Delta 880, serial number D11011. The camera contains 50 kilograms of depleted uranium.

"According to the licensee, the package was picked up from their Tonawanda, NY location on November 1, 2016. Tracking showed it arriving in Memphis, TN, on November 2, 2016. [The common carrier] has not been able to locate the package. The Corporate RSO [Radiation Safety Officer] for [the common carrier] was notified about the missing package on November 15, 2016.

"Although it was reported to the department that there was no source, the camera still contains depleted uranium, which is listed on the license. The Department [New York State Department of Health] will continue the investigation."

NY Event ID No: NYDOH-NY-16-08

* * * UPDATE ON 11/18/16 AT 0921 EST FROM DESMOND C. GORDON TO DONG PARK * * *

The following report was received from the New York State Department of Health via email:

"On 11/17/2016, the Corporate Radiation Safety Officer (CRSO) of [the common carrier], reported (via email) that the camera was found and was delivered to its final destination. According to [CRSO] note, he was contacted by the [the common carrier] Spill Clean-up office about a shipment marked with a Radioactive Material Excepted Package UN2909 handling label. He had them open the package, verify it as a QSA Global Model 880 and they confirmed the D11011 serial number. The package was an orphan package without paperwork and had been there since the first of the month. He gave them the tracking number and instructed them to move the package that morning. Industrial Nuclear received the package in La Porte, Texas. Although the orphan package had been 'written-up' when it arrived, there had been no follow up."

Notified R1DO (Bickett), NMSS Events Notification, 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