Nuclear Gauge With Radioactive Material Missing After Vehicle Stolen In Montco

HARLEYSVILLE, PA — A small nuclear device that contains radioactive materials and is used in soil testing and at construction sites is missing after the vehicle in which it was located was stolen out of Philadelphia, according to state officials.

The device belongs to Harleysville-based KAKS and Company, a construction testing and inspection business, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“It is critical for anyone who has information about the lost nuclear gauge to contact local authorities or DEP,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said in a statement. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety.”

Officials say should be immediately returned since it contains radioactive materials, although they added that the device is harmless if it is not tampered with in any way.

The DEP's Bureau of Radiation Protection is cautioning individuals to "maintain a considerable distance" from the device if it is located. It currently contains about 8 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241.

The gauge is yellow and about the size of a shoe box. It is a Troxler Model 3440, with serial number 31109.