The gauge had been secured in a vehicle stolen in Philadelphia. On April 7, when the vehicle was recovered, the gauge was no longer inside and may have been discarded.
“It is critical for anyone who has information about the lost nuclear gauge to contact local authorities or DEP,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety.”
Anyone who finds the gauge should not handle it directly, but rather maintain distance, limit time of proximity, and immediately contact local authorities or the DEP’s Southeast Regional Office at 484-250-5900.
A trained individual will recover the gauge.
If the gauge is badly damaged or was struck by a vehicle, there is potential for damage to the radioactive source and spread of contamination.
KAKS and Company LLC is licensed by DEP to possess and use the gauge. This type of nuclear gauge is commonly used to evaluate the properties of building and road-bed materials at construction sites throughout the commonwealth.
The radioactive material contained within the gauge is believed to be in a safe, shielded position. However, it may have been damaged after the theft of the vehicle.
The nuclear density gauge is a Troxler Model 3440, serial number 31109. The gauge is yellow in color and about the size of a shoe box, with an electronic keypad and a metal rod extending from the top surface.
The Troxler gauge contains approximately 8 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241. The radioactive material is in a double encapsulated source capsule within the device to protect its integrity.
[Posted: April 15, 2022] PA Environment Digest
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