Nuclear Density Gauge Stolen In Tolland Car Theft

TOLLAND, CT — A Berlin company has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the theft of a portable moisture-density gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material, according to State Police. The gauge, which belonged to Tri-State Testing Lab, LLC, was locked in a car's trunk.

The vehicle was stolen from an employee's driveway in Tolland on June 30. The stolen vehicle was a 2009 White Honda Accord with license plate number 244RJL, police said.

The gauge is used to make density measurements of soil by projecting the radiation from the two radioactive sources into the ground and then displaying the reflected radiation on a dial on its top, according to police.

The gauge, which is stored in a yellow protective transportation case, consists of a shielding container with a plunger-type handle protruding from the top. The gauge does include mechanisms that prevent the spread of radiation.

However, police warned that handling of the unshielded sources outside the container would carry a risk of potentially dangerous radiation exposure.

Anyone who locates the gauge should not touch it and immediately report its location to the NRC's Operations Center at 301-816-5100, which is staffed 24 hours a day. Collect calls are accepted.

Contact the Connecticut State Police at 860-896-3200 if you have any information regarding the theft.