Nuclear gauge containing radioactive material was STOLEN from a vehicle in Philadelphia

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Authorities are searching for a nuclear gauge that contains sealed, radioactive material and was stolen from a vehicle in Philadelphia.

The gauge and the vehicle belonged to a local construction site and soil testing business called KAKS and Company.

Officials for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the gauge was gone when the vehicle was found.

Details remain unclear as to when or where both the gauge and the vehicle were stolen. Philadelphia police have yet to respond to requests for comment.

‘It is critical for anyone who has information about the lost nuclear gauge to contact local authorities or DEP,’ Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said.

‘As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety,’ he added.

DEP officials have instructed anyone who finds the gauge to stay a ‘considerable’ distance from it and immediately call their Southeast Regional Office at 484-250-5900.

A search is on after a nuclear gauge that contains sealed, radioactive material was missing from a stolen vehicle in Philadelphia

The gauge is known as a Troxler Model 3440, serial number 31109. It is yellow and about the size of a shoe box, with an electronic keypad and a metal rod extending from the top surface

The gauge has about 8 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241. That sort of radioactive material is in a double encapsulated source capsule within the device to protect its integrity, according to the DEP

The gauge is known as a Troxler Model 3440, serial number 31109.

It is yellow and about the size of a shoe box, with an electronic keypad and a metal rod extending from the top surface, according to a DEP press release.

The gauge has about 8 millicuries of Cesium-137 and 40 millicuries of Americium-241.

That sort of radioactive material is in a double encapsulated source capsule within the device to protect its integrity, according to the DEP.

The EPA advises that exposure to low levels of radiation may not result in a health risk but can cause a small increase in the risk of cancer. High levels of exposure in a short period of time can cause nausea and vomiting.