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the accident site and could not locate the radiography 2.4 INITIATIVES TOWARDS MAXIMUM
device containing the source. The radiography agency
lodged a police complaint regarding theft of the GOVERNANCE, MINIMUM GOVERNMENT
radioactive source from the accident site at the nearest (i) Management of Disused Sealed
police station. Radioactive Sources (DSRS)

Later on, the radiography device was recovered on The disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS) are
June 28, 2019 from a scrap dealer located about 10 km those sealed radioactive sources that are not intended
away from the accident site by the licensee institution. to be used, for the practice for which an authorization
Device and source were recovered in intact condition was granted. The sources are obtained either through
and no radiological safety concern was reported. indigenously or through import. There are large

(iv) Theft of Nucleonic Gauge with Sources number of disused radioactive sources of varying
hazard potential (Category-1 to 5, high to low hazard)
Three numbers of Co source containers used in which are in possession of various institutions located
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mould level gauges were removed from the installed all over the country. As per the terms and condition
location in one of the steel company located at of the licence and policy, these sources after its useful
Bhandara, Maharashtra and these sources along with life need to be returned back to the original supplier
their shields were transferred to the source storage room for its safe management. However, in certain cases, the
under lock and key in March 2019. After a month, plant Licensee is unable to return the DSRS to the supplier
personnel notice that the lock of the source storage room owing to various reasons which include non-existence
was broken and two numbers of containers with Co of original supplier abroad, non-availability of proper
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sources (~20.72 MBq (0.56 mCi) each) are missing from documentation for export, exorbitant cost quoted by the
the room and third gauge with source in the container original supplier and financial constraints etc.
was found to be intact. Institute lodged police complaint
about the theft. After a reach operation, one container AERB oversees the safety and security of these DSRS
with source was recovered from the plant premises, possessed by various Institutions. Apart from review
whereas second container could not be recovered till of periodic safety status reports and pursuing them for
date. disposal of DSRS, AERB inspects these facilities based
on the hazard potential.
Enforcement Action:
AERB followed up the matter pertaining to disposal
AERB issued show-cause notice on regulatory of DSRS with Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)
violations committed by the institution. which is the nodal agency as per the Atomic Energy Act,
1962 to provide control over radioactive substances
(v) Loss of Nucleonic Gauges containing or radiation generating equipment, to establish an
decayed Sources appropriate formal mechanism to address the issue
of DSRS. Accordingly, DAE has constituted an expert
Three numbers of nucleonic gauges containing
137
radioactive sources {2x Cs (~ 0.22 GBq (6 mCi) & committee to review the request for safe management of
14
~ 2.3 GBq (62 mCi)} respectively and one C (~ 333 DSRS. The Committee has taken on priority the issue of
KBq (90µCi)) were reported missing from the storage disposal of Category-1 DSRS used in (Teletherapy and
room of institution at Dahej, Bharuch. The institute gamma irradiation Chamber) and initiated discussion
lodged a police complaint about the incident. Despite of with institution and source supplier to facilitate them to
search operations by the institution, the missing sources initiate the actions for safe management of DSRS.
could not be traced. Unsecured storage and inadequate (ii) Amendment of Safety Code on Industrial
surveillance to the disused sources at storage area led to Radiography
the above incident.
Based on the lessons learnt from recent incidences
Enforcement Action: w.r.t. handling of radiography devices by untrained
persons and feedback of stakeholders regarding scarcity
AERB issued show-cause notice on regulatory
violations committed by the institution. of trained personnel in industrial radiography practice,
need was felt to infuse more trained manpower to

AERB Annual Report 2019 47