Radioactive Pin Source Disappears During Shipment In New Jersey

A Ge-68 radioactive pin source used for medical scanner calibration has gone missing during transit, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced. The material was reported lost on December 2 while being transported for disposal in Newfield, New Jersey.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) reported that the shipment arrived damaged and without its contents. The pin, classified by the NRC as “less than Category 3,” poses minimal health risks due to its low radioactive content.

The missing item, identified as an Eckert & Ziegler model HEGL-0132, had been used at the Nazha Cancer Center for PET/CT scanner calibration. Its activity level was approximately 0.267 mCi at the time of the loss.

Federal regulations require incidents involving missing radioactive materials to be reported immediately. If the source is not recovered within 30 days, the licensee must provide a full account of the root cause and propose corrective measures.

Reports of drone sightings in New Jersey have sparked theories about a potential link to the search for the missing material, although no official connection has been confirmed.

The NRC and NJDEP are closely monitoring the situation as the licensee works to recover the lost radioactive source.

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