Warm Dice

["Rick Orthen" <rorthen@cecinc.com>]

Just wondering . . . why is strontium used to mark dice?





Rep Org: NEW YORK CITY BUREAU OF RAD HEALTH

Licensee: UNKNOWN

Region: 1

City: NEW YORK State: NY

County: 

License #: 

Agreement: Y

Docket: 

NRC Notified By: RICHARD BORRI

HQ OPS Officer: JOHN MacKINNON 



Notification Date: 07/02/2004

Notification Time: 15:24 [ET]

Event Date: 06/30/2004

Event Time: 18:30 [EDT]

Last Update Date: 07/02/2004 





Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY

10 CFR Section: 

AGREEMENT STATE



Person (Organization): 

CLIFFORD ANDERSON (R1)

ROBERTO TORRES (NMSS)

DUNCAN WHITE (R1)



Event Text 





AGREEMENT STATE REPORT FROM THE NEW YORK CITY BUREAU OF RAD HEALTH 



On 06/30/04 a portal monitor at JFK airport alarmed. US Customs opened a box

from China and found 15 dice and a small cylindrical object (about 24 mm in

diameter by 5 mm in height). Three of the 15 dice were found to have a

contact radiation reading of 15 millirem per hour. The small cylindrical

object outside radiation reading was in the microcurie range. The

cylindrical object was found to contain a substance that had strontium-90

mixed in it. The State of New York Health Department after talking with

Department of Energy Radiation Assistance Program (RAP) believe that this

substance is used to mark dice. The New York City Bureau of Rad Health is

continuing there investigation of this incident.



 



Richard F. Orthen, CHMM



Senior Project Manager



Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.



Four Triangle Lane, Suite 200



Export, PA  15632-9255



724/327-5200, ext. 231



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