Alert

Due to a lapse in appropriations, the NRC has ceased normal operations. However, excepted and exempted activities necessary to maintain critical health and safety functions—as well as essential progress on designated critical activities, including those specified in Executive Order 14300—will continue, consistent with the OMB-Approved NRC Lapse Plan.

Event Notification Report for October 5, 2006

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
10/04/2006 - 10/05/2006

** EVENT NUMBERS **

42868

42875

General Information or Other	Event Number: 42868
Rep Org: LOUISIANA RADIATION PROTECTION DIV Licensee: SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD OF NEW ORLEANS Region: 4 City: NEW ORLEANS State: LA County: License #: LA-3618-L01 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: RICHARD PENROD HQ OPS Officer: STEVE SANDIN	Notification Date: 09/29/2006 Notification Time: 15:29 [ET] Event Date: 06/01/2006 Event Time: [CDT] Last Update Date: 09/29/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: AGREEMENT STATE	Person (Organization): ZACH DUNHAM (R4) SANDRA WASTLER (NMSS)

This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material.

Event Text

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT INVOLVING A LOST GAS CHROMATOGRAPH

The following information was received via fax:

"During an inspection of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans it was discovered that a Hewlett-Packard Gas Chromatograph, model number 18713A, with 15 mCi of Ni-63 foil could not be located. According to the inventory, it was placed into storage in 1995, but it could not be inventoried in December 2005 due to Hurricane damage to the storage facility. The facility tried to locate the GC around June 2006, but could not locate the unit. The facility failed to notify the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality of the missing GC and has been cited. This incident is under investigation. The NRC will be notified of any additional information once it is received.

"Event Report ID No.: LA060018"

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

Other Nuclear Material	Event Number: 42875
Rep Org: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Licensee: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Region: 3 City: St. Louis State: MO County: License #: 24-00513-38 Agreement: N Docket: NRC Notified By: ROBERT WESTER HQ OPS Officer: JOHN KNOKE	Notification Date: 10/04/2006 Notification Time: 16:50 [ET] Event Date: 10/04/2006 Event Time: 10:50 [CDT] Last Update Date: 10/04/2006
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) - LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X	Person (Organization): GREG PICK (R4) LAWRENCE KOKAJKO (NMSS)

Event Text

ACCIDENTAL DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

At 10:50 CDT on 10/04/06, the RSO was notified that a custodian accidentally picked up some radioactive trash which contained 4 milliCuries of P-32. This is a beta emitter with a 14 day half-life. The incident occurred during business hours on 10/03/06 at Stadler Hall (Room S402) on the University of Missouri campus. The licensee traced the event and found out the custodian took the trash to the dumpster, which was then picked up by Allied Waste System, who then transferred it to their landfill site in Roxanna, IL. The operator at the landfill indicated no alarms were activated when this trash truck entered the landfill.

The RSO stated the trash in the research lab (S402) was put into a container marked "radioactive material", although the double bagged waste material (P-32) was not marked.

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