Post by Administrators on Sept 21, 2005 11:19:39 GMT -5
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
September 20, 2005
PA Emergency Management Agency
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120
CONTACT: Maria A. Smith
(717) 651-2009
PA COMPANY MISSING NUCLEAR GAUGE,
RECOVERY OF DEVICE IS SOUGHT
HARRISBURG --A Pennsylvania company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that a portable soil density gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material has been stolen in South Charleston, West Virginia.
GeoMechanics Inc. based in Elizabeth, Pa., told the NRC on September 19, 2005, that one of its employees reported the theft of a Humboldt Scientific Inc. Model 5001 nuclear gauge. The device was reportedly stolen from one of the company’s trucks in a hotel parking lot in South Charleston.
The gauge was being transported to a temporary job site in St. Albans, WV. The gauge was in a chained, padlocked container and was secured to the vehicle. The NRC will review the loss of the gauge and determine whether enforcement action is warranted. The padlocked container is made of yellow hard plastic and has both a “Radioactive II” yellow placard and an orange “Danger” placard. The dimensions of the container are 31 inches by 14 inches by 19.5 inches. The weight of the container with the gauge and its accessories is approximately 90 pounds.
“We are asking that anyone in the area who has information about, or witnessed the apparent theft to contact the NRC Operations Center, the West Virginia State Police or the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office immediately,” said James R. Joseph, PEMA deputy director. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, the gauge presents no hazard to the public.”
The device contains approximately 10 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241. The gauge makes its measurements by projecting the radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial on its top. The device consists of a shielding container with a plunger-type handle protruding from the top. The handle is used to extend and then retract the radioactive Cesium-137 source from the shielded position. When not in use, the handle is normally locked, with the source in the retracted, safely shielded position. The Ameicium-241 source is fixed in the gauge base. The rectangular base of the gauge is yellow.
Any attempt to tamper with the radioactive sources in the device could subject the person to radiation exposure. Handling of the unshielded sources outside their containers would carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.
A reward of $500 has been offered by GeoMechanics for information resulting in the recovery of the gauge. Anyone who finds the gauge should leave it alone and report its location to the NRC’s Operations Center at (301) 816-5100, the West Virginia State Police South Charleston Barracks at (304) 558-7777 or the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at (304) 357-0169. All three centers are staffed 24 hours a day. In the event of an emergency please dial 911.
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COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
September 20, 2005
PA Emergency Management Agency
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120
CONTACT: Maria A. Smith
(717) 651-2009
PA COMPANY MISSING NUCLEAR GAUGE,
RECOVERY OF DEVICE IS SOUGHT
HARRISBURG --A Pennsylvania company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that a portable soil density gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material has been stolen in South Charleston, West Virginia.
GeoMechanics Inc. based in Elizabeth, Pa., told the NRC on September 19, 2005, that one of its employees reported the theft of a Humboldt Scientific Inc. Model 5001 nuclear gauge. The device was reportedly stolen from one of the company’s trucks in a hotel parking lot in South Charleston.
The gauge was being transported to a temporary job site in St. Albans, WV. The gauge was in a chained, padlocked container and was secured to the vehicle. The NRC will review the loss of the gauge and determine whether enforcement action is warranted. The padlocked container is made of yellow hard plastic and has both a “Radioactive II” yellow placard and an orange “Danger” placard. The dimensions of the container are 31 inches by 14 inches by 19.5 inches. The weight of the container with the gauge and its accessories is approximately 90 pounds.
“We are asking that anyone in the area who has information about, or witnessed the apparent theft to contact the NRC Operations Center, the West Virginia State Police or the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office immediately,” said James R. Joseph, PEMA deputy director. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, the gauge presents no hazard to the public.”
The device contains approximately 10 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241. The gauge makes its measurements by projecting the radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial on its top. The device consists of a shielding container with a plunger-type handle protruding from the top. The handle is used to extend and then retract the radioactive Cesium-137 source from the shielded position. When not in use, the handle is normally locked, with the source in the retracted, safely shielded position. The Ameicium-241 source is fixed in the gauge base. The rectangular base of the gauge is yellow.
Any attempt to tamper with the radioactive sources in the device could subject the person to radiation exposure. Handling of the unshielded sources outside their containers would carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.
A reward of $500 has been offered by GeoMechanics for information resulting in the recovery of the gauge. Anyone who finds the gauge should leave it alone and report its location to the NRC’s Operations Center at (301) 816-5100, the West Virginia State Police South Charleston Barracks at (304) 558-7777 or the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at (304) 357-0169. All three centers are staffed 24 hours a day. In the event of an emergency please dial 911.
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