Event Notification Report for August 30, 2005

LICENSEE REPORTED AN UNACCOUNTABLE CALIFORNIUM-249 SOURCE

The licensee reported that a 0.958 microCurie (as of 02/05/83) source of Californium 249 was unaccounted for when the device was inspected prior to usage. The source is a solid electrode deposit on a platinum foil which is used to calibrate nuclear physics instrumentation. The last inventory was conducted on 07/25/05, but it was only a visual check of the container. The last activity identification of the device was on 05/11/04. They have searched and are continuing the search to find the material. No evidence of contamination has been detected in the area at this time.

This is a IAEA Category 5 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.

For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA 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.

*** UPDATE FROM ROSSI TO KNOKE AT 13:05 EDT 0N 09/07/05 ***

The licensee made a correction to the 3rd sentence in the first paragraph to read as follows: "The last inventory was conducted on 07/25/05, which was a physical inventory of the source."

Notified R3DO (Cameron) and NMSS (Hickey), and emailed TAS (Danis).

* * * UPDATE FROM K. ERICKSON TO W. GOTT AT 0855 ON 11/17/05 * * *

The licensee located the lost material on November 10, 2005. The source was in the restricted area of the facility but was not in the normal storage location. The source in now in the appropriate locked storage location. The licensee notified Regions 3 (S. Bakhsh).

Notified R3DO (Stone), NMSS (G. Morell), email Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and TAS (Whitney).

A STATE LICENSEE REPORTED ONE OF THEIR TROXLER MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGES HAD BEEN STOLEN

A Troxler moisture density gauge was stolen from the company truck while parked at the private residence of a Wingerter Laboratory employee. The gauge was checked out from the company at 0630 and taken to his residence to pick up job related paperwork. While at the job site the RSO was notified at 0830 that the gauge was missing. The driver said he made no stops while driving from his residence to job site. The Troxler gauge (model 3440, serial #19973) contained 8 mCi (milliCuries) of Cs-137; 40 mCi of AM-241/Be. Wingerter is offering a $1000 reward for the return of the gauge in local newspaper.

Florida incident #FL05-120

This is less than the quantity of a IAEA Category 3 source. 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.

For some of these sources, such as moisture density gauges or thickness gauges that are IAEA 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.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT FAILS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY

The RSO called to state that the Bromine Monitor at their facility failed to function properly. The shutter on the monitor failed to close, thus leaving it in an unsafe condition. The licensee taped a piece of metal (the same metal as the shutter) across the instrument to render it in a safe condition. The equipment was removed from service and no personnel received exposure from the event. The equipment is made by AEA Technology, Model number CUCD2, s/n 5738LY. The radionuclide is 10 microCuries of Cd-109 (cadium-109). A qualified technician has been dispatched to repair the Bromine Monitor.

LOSS OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

"I am calling per 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(ii) to notify you of a possible loss of radioactive material at the VA Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, a permittee under the VA license. This incident occurred on or around August 30, 2005, and was discovered October 7, 2005. This possible incident resulted from the flooding of the radioactive waste storage room at the medical center and involved the loss of radioactive materials.

"The materials which are considered lost are Iodine 131 and Iodine 125. The unsealed materials were in waste containers and may have washed out of the containers when the waste room was flooded. The dilution of the small amount of activity in the floodwaters precludes any possible public dose or health and safety concern.

"These circumstances are considered a possible incident since a technical evaluation to estimate the loss is not based on quantitative measurements or surveys. Also, the tags and waste records attached to the containers were obliterated by the floodwaters. Attempts to estimate the activity began on October 7, 2005, and an estimate of the original activity was submitted by the permittee in a preliminary report to the National Health Physics Program on October 24, 2005.

"A best estimate based on review of storage records, radioactive decay, and observations and measurements in the waste room is that, perhaps, as much as 200 microcuries Iodine 131 and 600 microcuries Iodine 125 in storage August 30, 2005, cannot be specifically located or identified as being present in the waste storage room on October 7, 2005."

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.