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Special NRC inspection of leak from A southern Illinois uranium-conversion plant

NRC inspecting Illinois uranium-conversion plant after leak, WT  By – Associated Press – Tuesday, August 4, 2015 METROPOLIS, Ill. (AP) – A southern Illinois uranium-conversion plant is undergoing a special inspection after a weekend leak of uranium hexafluoride, a gas used to produce enriched uranium for nuclear power plants, Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said.

A valve installed during maintenance at the Honeywell plant in Metropolis began to leak just before 6 p.m. Saturday, triggering an emergency alert and activation of large water sprays, the NRC said in a news release. The leak was stopped almost two hours later; the company said nobody was injured and the leak did not leave the site.

Honeywell’s Metropolis plant, about 5 miles northwest of Paducah, Kentucky, is the only place in the U.S. that converts uranium ore to uranium hexafluoride, which can be toxic when exposed to moisture in the air………

The company has experienced other uranium hexafluoride leaks, including last October, the (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reported (http://bit.ly/1MKIM2G ). In December 2013, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan fined Honeywell $90,000 for three prior releases, in December 2008, December 2010 and October 2011. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/4/nrc-inspecting-illinois-uranium-conversion-plant-a/

August 5, 2015 - Posted by | safety, USA

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