[ RadSafe ] Polonium Source "misplaced"

[Nielsen, Erik]

I wonder how many of these are "lost" a year.  From previous postings it
appears as though the orginal activity on this article would be a fatal
dose if ingested/inhaled.

General Information or Other	Event Number: 42341	
Rep Org: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Licensee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
Region: 4
City: DALLAS State: TX
County: 
License #: G1800
Agreement: Y
Docket: 
NRC Notified By: RUBEN CORTEZ
HQ OPS Officer: BILL HUFFMAN 	Notification Date: 02/15/2006
Notification Time: 18:04 [ET]
Event Date: 02/13/2006
Event Time: [CST]
Last Update Date: 02/15/2006 	
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section: 
AGREEMENT STATE
	Person (Organization): 
DAVID GRAVES (R4)
E. WILLIAM BRACH (NMSS)
	
Event Text 
AGREEMENT STATE - LOSS OF CONTROL OF POLONIUM SOURCE 

The State of Texas reported that a static eliminator with 20 millicurie
Polonium-210 source (based on a January 2005 assay) was inadvertently
shipped to Taiwan without radioactive material controls or the knowledge
of the RSO for the licensee. The RSO received a Po-210 source for
renewal of the source in a static eliminator and discovered that the
eliminator was missing. The licensee determined that the static
eliminator with the depleted Po-210 source had been shipped to Taiwan
without consideration of the Po-210 source in the eliminator. There is
currently no indication that the source is lost - but it is no longer
under the licensee's control. Investigation into this event is ongoing. 

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.	
Erik C. Nielsen 
Senior Scientist 
Remote Sensing Laboratory 
P.O. Box 98521, M/S RSL-47 
Las Vegas, NV 89193-8521 
http://www.nv.doe.gov/nationalsecurity/homelandsecurity/frmac/default.ht
m 
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