Event Notification Report for October 16, 2020
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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Event Reports For ** EVENT NUMBERS ** |
| 54817 | 54936 | 54937 |
| Agreement State | Event Number: 54817 |
| Rep Org: GEORGIA RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL PGM Licensee: International Paper Savannah Mill Region: 1 City: Savannah State: GA County: License #: 143-1 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: Shatavia Walker HQ OPS Officer: Andrew Waugh |
Notification Date: 08/05/2020 Notification Time: 13:19 [ET] Event Date: 07/21/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [EDT] Last Update Date: 10/15/2020 |
| Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: Agreement State |
Person (Organization): FRANK ARNER (R1DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) |
Event Text
EN Revision Imported Date : 10/16/2020 EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - BROKEN SHUTTER The following is a summary of information received via email: On July 21, 2020, the licensee was conducting a semi-annual leak test and inventory when they discovered a shutter was not working on an in service source device. The source has been barricaded and appropriate warnings have been posted. An offsite technician is being contacted to replace the device. The device is an Ohmart Model A-2102 density gauge with a 100 mCi Cs-137 source. * * * UPDATE ON 8/6/20 AT 1757 EDT FROM SHATAVIA WALKER TO ANDREW WAUGH * * * The following is a summary of information received via email: The broken shutter concerned in this event was stuck in the open position. Notified R1DO (Arner) and NMSS Event Notifications via email. * * * UPDATE ON 10/15/2020 AT 1614 EDT FROM THOMAS GRAFTON TO OSSY FONT * * * The following update was received from the state of Georgia via email: "A qualified technician from BBP installed the new source on September 23, 2020. The old source was sent back to QSA [Global, Inc.] with a confirmation receipt [dated October 2, 2020]." Notified R1DO (Jackson) and NMSS Events Notification via email. |
| Agreement State | Event Number: 54936 |
| Rep Org: PA BUREAU OF RADIATION PROTECTION Licensee: Private Residence Region: 1 City: Harrisburg State: PA County: License #: Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: John Chippo HQ OPS Officer: Thomas Herrity |
Notification Date: 10/07/2020 Notification Time: 13:19 [ET] Event Date: 09/28/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [EDT] Last Update Date: 10/07/2020 |
| Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: Agreement State |
Person (Organization): CHRISTOPHER LALLY (R1DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) |
| This material event contains a "Less than Cat 3" level of radioactive material. |
Event Text
| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - RECOVERED MISCELLANEOUS RADIOACTIVE ITEMS The following was received from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection (BRP; the Department) via email: "On Sunday afternoon, September 28, 2020, the Department was notified of radioactive material found in a private residence being cleaned-out for an auction sale. BRP staff responded and found several sealed radium-226 sources and small quantities of uranium ore. The initial investigation revealed an additional nearby property also had radioactive material present. Staff inspected that property as well and discovered several more items. Owners of the houses were related and have passed away. HazMat responder's shoes and gloves were surveyed on September 28, with no removable contamination noted. Ambient dose rates were in the microrem to few millirem per hour range around the sources. The houses were secured that evening and further investigation continued through the week. As of October 7, 45 items have been collected. Note, some items contain multiple exempt sources, pieces of rock, or bottles of circa 1920 quack medical tablets with radium-226. These items include: old quack radium consumer products, exempt check sources, vacuum tubes, a military compass, luminous tubes and deck markers, cans of thorium oxide, and various other items containing radium-226, thorium-232, strontium-90, carbon-14, and natural uranium in quantities ranging from less than a microCurie to a few milliCuries (in the case of two radium-226 sources). An empty 5 gallon pail with 'US Radium, Bloomsburg PA' stenciled on the side was found. It is believed this old manufacturer of radium products, and now an EPA Superfund site, is where these items originated from. No exposure to members of the public above the public dose limit of 100 mrem per year are believed to have occurred during discovery and recovery, as the higher activity sources were within lead containers when found. BRP will update this event if more information becomes available. A complete inventory and activity calculations are underway for proper disposal." Event Report ID No: PA200020 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 | Event Number: 54937 |
| Rep Org: TEXAS DEPT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES Licensee: City of Lubbock - Street / Drainage Engineering Region: 4 City: Lubbock State: TX County: License #: L-01735 Agreement: Y Docket: NRC Notified By: Art Tucker HQ OPS Officer: Kerby Scales |
Notification Date: 10/08/2020 Notification Time: 12:44 [ET] Event Date: 10/08/2020 Event Time: 00:00 [CDT] Last Update Date: 10/08/2020 |
| Emergency Class: Non Emergency 10 CFR Section: Agreement State |
Person (Organization): JEFFREY JOSEY (R4DO) NMSS_EVENTS_NOTIFICATION (EMAIL) |
Event Text
| AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - DAMAGED TROXLER GAUGE The following information was received from the Texas Department of State Health Services (the Agency) via email: "On October 8, 2020, the Agency was contacted by the licensee and notified that while being used at a job site, a Troxler 3440 nuclear gauge was damaged by a road grader. The gauge contains a 40 milliCurie americium-241 source and an 8 milliCurie cesium-137 source. The licensee's technician had started a measurement and walked back to their truck when the grader came around a dirt pile and struck the gauge before the technician could respond. The cesium source operating rod was extended about 6 inches into the soil. The licensee performed a survey at the gauge and the reading at 3 feet was 1.2 millirem per hour. The licensee established a boundary at 15 feet from the gauge. The radiation safety officer (RSO) responded to the location. The RSO inspected the gauge and thought they could retract the cesium source back to the shielded position. The RSO's attempt to retract the source was successful. The RSO took a radiation reading 3 feet from the source and it was 0.14 millirem per hour. The gauge was placed in the transport case and will be taken to the licensee's storage area. The RSO stated they would contact the manufacturer to dispose of the gauge. No individual received an exposure due to this event. Additional information will be provided as it is received in accordance with SA-300." Texas Incident Number: I - 9805 |
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, March 24, 2021