Event Notification Report for January 21, 2026

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - DAMAGED GAUGE

The following information was provided by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection via email:

"On January 6, 2026, NYSDOH Bureau of Environmental Radiation Protection received a phone notification to report the inability to [affix] the shielding cap as designed on an NDC 103X gauging device containing approximately 150 millicuries of americium-241. According to the licensee, the screws to secure the shielding cover when not in use had broken off due to routine capping and uncapping of the manual shutter. A survey was performed which indicated that the source and source shell were not compromised. The radiation safety officer fabricated a temporary lead cap to cover the source, performed a shielding survey to confirm that dose rates did not exceed background levels, closed off the area to unauthorized personnel, and contacted the manufacturer for repair. NYSDOH required that the device be taken out of service until repaired by the manufacturer.

"In assessing this event, no individual exposures are believed to have occurred, and the source itself does not appear to be compromised. The licensee was able to determine that the cause of [the broken screws] was from the continued use of the manual shutter and natural wear and tear of the device.

"On January 13, 2026, a qualified and licensed third-party entity was able to repair the broken screws on the shielding cap and confirm that such repairs and conditions for the gauge were in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and the sealed source and device registry. The gauge was recommissioned for use on January 14, 2026.

"In accordance with 10 CFR 31.5(c)(5), the licensee will be submitting a written report within thirty (30) days of notification. Additional information will be provided to NMED once available.

"NYSDOH is monitoring this incident under incident 1552."

AGREEMENT STATE REPORT - DAMAGED GAUGE

The following is a summary of information provided by the California Radiation Control Program via email:

On January 14, 2026, at approximately 1430 PST, the radiation safety officer (RSO) for the licensee contacted the California Radiologic Health Branch (RHB) Brea office concerning a Troxler moisture/density gauge that had been run over by construction equipment. The incident occurred at a temporary job site in Oceanside, CA, at approximately 1430 PST on January 13, 2026.

While the user was performing a soil density test with the source rod in the soil, the gauge was run over by a soil grader. The area around the gauge was cleared, the user raised the source rod into the shielded position and contacted the RSO. The gauge was surveyed by the RSO to confirm that the source rod was still attached and raised into the lead shielding. Due to the extent of damage to the gauge index rod, the locking mechanism on the source rod was not functional. The gauge was secured as much as possible then placed into the gauge transport package and returned to the licensee's office. The RSO will collect a leak test swab and send it to Troxler for analysis. Once the gauge is shown not to be leaking, it will be transported to Troxler for damage assessment and disposition.

A copy of the licensee's incident report will be forwarded to the RHB Brea office and will be included in this investigation.

Model: Troxler 3440
Source: 0.333 GBq Cs-137 and 1.6 GBq Am-241/Be
S/N: 15053

CA 5010 number: 011426