A portable nuclear device used in construction was reported missing Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
DEP said the missing nuclear gauge contains “sealed sources of radioactive material” belonging to a construction company in Harleysville, a suburb of Philadelphia. The device was secured in a car when it was stolen. The vehicle has been recovered, but the device “was no longer inside and may have been discarded,” DEP said.
The state agency warned if the device is “badly damaged,” there is “potential for damage to the radioactive source and spread of contamination.”
The nuclear device is a Troxler Model 3440. Construction companies use it to evaluate if there are radioactive materials at job sites. The Troxler gauge contains Cesium-137 and Americium-241.
DEP tweeted an image of the missing device.
“Anyone who finds the gauge should not handle it directly, but rather maintain distance, limit time of proximity, and immediately contact local authorities or the DEP’s Southeast Regional Office at 484-250-5900,” DEP tweeted. “A trained individual will recover the gauge.”
This is the second time in about six months that a Troxler Model 3440 has gone missing in Pennsylvania. In Oct., DEP said another device was “inadvertently” left at a job site. It was later recovered, but for these issues to reoccur in a short period raises many eyebrows.