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AW: Check Source Identification
Recently, I was asked to assist
another federal agency in the Cleveland area in dealing with, what is
thought to be, an unknown instrument check source. I am looking for a
definite identification of this small source and it's
manufacturer. Here's its description:
Metallic disk,
approximately 0.5" diameter and 0.25" thick. (looks like a big
watch battery)
Writing:
"RA 3 25" on one
side
"FA
7063" on other
Exposure Rate: approx. 40
mR/hr at 1 cm (meter calibrated to Cs-137)
I'm guessing it might
contain radium, with the writing above being its model and serial number
respectively, but, I would appreciate anyone with a definite ID of this
source. They did not have any information regarding the make/model of
the instrument this source was taken from.
Here I come again, wondering about the US conditions and
circumstances of radioactive sources, especially with reference of the lot
of messages received on RADSAFE with regard to "dirty
bombs".
What you describe, is that there is a source at a federal agency,
which cannot be attributed to a certain radionuclide or its activity. You
suspect it is an instrument source, but no information is available. In a
federal agency? You tell moreover that you have been asked to identify this
source. You tell me in your response, that you do not have
gamma-spectrometry capability.
I cannot believe, that a federal agency - which one is it? - has no
capability to identify the unknown radionuclide in a source. I wonder, why
they have to ask a company (?) not even being able to do a gamma
spectrometric measurement, to identify the source. Usually one does not hire
a fleet of Volkswagen Beetles to transport tons of
rocks.
We hear so much about the tremendous risks of "dirty
bombs" from RADSAFE, but here we are told that a "federal
agency" is not even able to determine the nature of a suspected
calibration source.
Franz