Event Notification Report for August 15, 2025

EN Revision Imported Date: 8/15/2025

EN Revision Text: LOST CHEMICAL AGENT DETECTORS

The following summary of information was provided by the licensee via phone and email:

On February 18, 2025, Naval Sea System Command Detachment, Radiological Affairs Support Office was notified of the following information:

On February 10, 2025, Marine Corps Logistics Command declared the loss of ten automatic chemical agent detector alarm (ACADA) systems (model no. NSN 6665-01-438-3673). Each ACADA contains 30 mCi of Ni-63. The loss was identified by the Marine Corps Logistics Command Radiological Control Office during October 2024 actions to terminate their Ni-63 permit (10-67004-T1NP). The last known reference to the detectors were during an October 2022 shipment from command distribution in Albany, GA to a force storage battalion where the detectors never arrived. Various interviews, search, and tracking efforts occurred with the detectors being removed from inventory in April 2024.

No known exposures have occurred.

To prevent recurrence, RFIDs are being utilized to ensure tracking and accountability along with adherence to GCSS-MC tracking standards.

* * * RETRACTION ON 08/14/2024 AT 1552 EDT FROM CDR MATT BEERY TO ROBERT THOMPSON * * *

The following information was provided by the licensee via email:

"The Naval Radiation Safety Committee (NRSC) requests to retract the report made 11 Feb 2025.

"The NRSC has determined that the automatic chemical agent detector alarm (ACADA) [systems], originally deemed as lost, were actually shipped to the Army Joint Munitions Command (Department of Defense Low Level Radioactive Waste Office) for disposal in March 2022. This is based on the discovery of errors noted on a shipping document that forwarded ACADAs from the Defense Logistics Agency to the Second Force Storage Battalion, which mistakenly led to an inventory error and ultimately the report to the NRC."

Notified R1DO (Bickett), NMSS Events Notification (email), ILTAB (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

EN Revision Imported Date: 8/15/2025

EN Revision Text: AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - STUCK OPEN GAUGE

The following information was provided by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (the Department) via phone and email:

"The licensee informed the Department via telephone on June 5, 2025, that a fixed gauging device was disabled or failed to function as designed. The licensee reported that a sealed source was stuck (exposed) in a dip tube assembly that was attached to a process vessel. The licensee reported that a representative from a licensed service provider was on-site and was able to remove the sealed source from the dip tube assembly and place the sealed source into a transport shield.

"The sealed source is a 9 millicurie cobalt-60 Berthold Technologies USA, LLC Model P2608-100.

"The licensee did not report any overexposures or ongoing health/safety concerns.

"This event is still under investigation by the Department."

* * * UPDATE ON 7/1/2025 AT 1357 EDT FROM JACOB PRICE TO TENISHA MEADOWS * * *

The following information was provided by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services via email:

"The on-call duty officer was dispatched to the facility to investigate the event on June 6, 2025. All observations and information from the interviews were consistent with the details obtained from the initial report."

South Carolina Event Report ID Number: SC250006

Notified R1DO (Carfang) and NMSS Events Notification (email)

* * * UPDATE ON 08/14/2025 AT 1131 EDT FROM JACOB PRICE TO ADAM KOZIOL * * *

The following information was provided by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services via email:

The Department has completed its investigation, and the event is considered closed.

Notified R1DO (Bickett) and NMSS Events Notification (email)

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - BROKEN GAUGE SHUTTER

The following is a summary of the information provided by the Louisianna Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) via email:

On August 06, 2025, at 2248 CDT, LDEQ was notified by Union Carbide Corporation's radiation safety officer via phone concerning a broken handle for the shutter rotor on a fixed nuclear gauge. This condition was identified during a six-month inspection by BBP Sales (a third-party inspector) in their Poly Ethylene Plant Unit - LP-6 Rx3 West Product Chamber. The fixed gauge is used for level/density and is in the "On" position. This is its normal position and poses no additional risk to the public or plant personnel.

BBP Sales is planning to replace the rotor with a new rotor and handle next week.

Ohmart SH-F2-0 nuclear gauge
Serial number: 20285009
Source serial number: 156OCO
Isotope: Cs-137
Activity: 500 mCi

LA Event Report ID Number: LA 20250006

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - LOSS OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

The following information was provided by the State of Florida Bureau of Radiation Control (BRC) via email:

"BRC received notification from [a representative of] Environmental Health and Safety for Florida A & M University, that a scintillation counter with an embedded Cs-137 external quench monitor source was improperly disposed of. [The representative] states the professor in charge of the laboratory requested the item's removal, and it was disposed of as a piece of retired equipment without recognizing the presence of the radioactive material. This error was identified by [the radiation safety officer on] 7/29/25. [The licensee] could not locate the serial number for the item."

The device is a Beckman Coulter Model number LS6500 and contains a 30 mCi Cs-137 source.

Florida Incident Number: FL25-079

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