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 December 10, 2008

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center

Event Reports For
12/09/2008 - 12/10/2008

** EVENT NUMBERS **

44707

Other Nuclear Material	Event Number: 44707
Rep Org: DOW AGROSCIENCES Licensee: DOW AGROSCIENCES Region: 3 City: INDIANAPOLIS State: IN County: License #: 13-26398-01 Agreement: N Docket: NRC Notified By: ROBEN ROBERTS HQ OPS Officer: DONALD NORWOOD	Notification Date: 12/09/2008 Notification Time: 16:30 [ET] Event Date: 12/09/2008 Event Time: [EST] Last Update Date: 12/09/2008
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) - LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X	Person (Organization): CHRISTINE LIPA (R3) MARK THAGGARD (FSME)

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

Event Text

LOST TRITIUM EXIT SIGNS

"[This is] notification of two missing tritium exit signs from Dow AgroSciences, LLC. The signs were confirmed to be missing and potentially disposed of as hazardous waste on 12/9/2008.

"The two self luminous tritium signs were manufactured by Isolite: Model Number: 2040-01R-12, Serial Number: A67502, manufacture date July 3, 1996. Model Number: 2040-01R-12, Serial Number: A67503, manufacture date July 3, 1996. At the time of notification the activity for each sign would be 4748.59 mCi. At the time of removal of the signs the activity would have been 5023.79 mCi, each.

"The two exit signs were to be replaced by the Radiation Safety Officer and the Site Operation Manager and it was discovered that they had previously been replaced by a Site Manager. This Site Manager, who is no longer with the company, had replaced the above signs with new self luminous signs on 12/6/2007. The RSO and Site Operation Manager contacted waste management to confirm potential disposal and confirmed that work had been performed on 12/6/07 for sign replacement. Currently the RSO and Site Manager are investigating the disposal path of the signs as it is not documented that the signs were returned to the manufacturer. The RSO has notified the Radiation Safety Chair, the Environmental Health and Safety Leader, and the Site Operation Leader. A full root cause investigation is scheduled for December 11, 2008. A final notification report will be submitted within 30 days as required by the NRC."

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

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