‘Potentially dangerous’ nuclear density gauge stolen in CT

Connecticut State Police provided an image of the gauge and the vehicle that the gauge was in when it was stolen. Connecticut State Police provided an image of the gauge and the vehicle that the gauge was in when it was stolen. Photo: Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police Photo: Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close ‘Potentially dangerous’ nuclear density gauge stolen in CT 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Connecticut State Police are hoping to locate a gauge used to hold sources of radioactive material — which was recently stolen along with the vehicle of a lab employee, who had the gauge in the vehicle’s trunk.

Tri-State Testing Lab in Berlin recently informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the theft of a portable moisture-density gauge that holds sealed sources of radioactive material.

The gauge was in a hard yellow case and was locked in the trunk of a vehicle, which was stolen from an employee’s Tolland driveway on June 30.

The stolen vehicle, a 2009 white Honda Accord with Connecticut license plate 244RJL remains missing. The vin number is LXP1HGCP26479A181802.

The density gauge contains small amount of cesium-137 and americium-241.

The gauge is used to make density measurements of soil by projecting radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial at the top of the device.

There is a plunger-type handle on the device, used to manually extend and retract the radioactive sources from a shielded position. When it’s not in use, the handle is normally locked with the sources in the retracted, safely shielded position.

If the sources are in the shielded position, the gauge would present no hazard to the public.

But, any attempt to tamper with the radioactive sources in the device could subject someone to radiation exposure. Any handling of unshielded sources outside the container could carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.

Anyone who finds the gauge is asked not to touch it and to immediately report its location to the NRC’s Operations Center at 301-816-5100. The Operations Center is staffed around the clock and accepts collect calls.

Anyone with informaiton about the theft is urged to call state police at 860-896-3200.