Lost Nuclear Item On Md. Base Leads To Fine

The soil density gauge was out of sight for 10 days

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $3,500 fine on a Virginia company for the temporary loss at the Fort George G. Meade Army Base of a device that contained a small amount of radioactive material.

In late 2010, GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc., headquartered in Ashburn, Va., lost a portable nuclear gauge used to measure soil density at construction sites, the NRC said Tuesday in a statement.

The company suspected that the gauge had been stolen during a theft of construction equipment on the base, where the item was stored on a temporary job site. It was stored in a lock-box and chained to the exterior of a sea-land container.

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