CBRN event in United States of America on Wed 14th January 2026

The following is a summary of information provided by the California Radiation Control Program via email:

On January 14, 2026, at approximately 1430 PST, the radiation safety officer (RSO) for the licensee contacted the California Radiologic Health Branch (RHB) Brea office concerning a Troxler moisture/density gauge that had been run over by construction equipment. The incident occurred at a temporary job site in Oceanside, CA, at approximately 1430 PST on January 13, 2026.

While the user was performing a soil density test with the source rod in the soil, the gauge was run over by a soil grader. The area around the gauge was cleared, the user raised the source rod into the shielded position and contacted the RSO. The gauge was surveyed by the RSO to confirm that the source rod was still attached and raised into the lead shielding. Due to the extent of damage to the gauge index rod, the locking mechanism on the source rod was not functional. The gauge was secured as much as possible then placed into the gauge transport package and returned to the licensee's office. The RSO will collect a leak test swab and send it to Troxler for analysis. Once the gauge is shown not to be leaking, it will be transported to Troxler for damage assessment and disposition.

A copy of the licensee's incident report will be forwarded to the RHB Brea office and will be included in this investigation.

Model: Troxler 3440
Source: 0.333 GBq Cs-137 and 1.6 GBq Am-241/Be
S/N: 15053

CA 5010 number: 011426