nuclear-news

A report released on April 25 details the commission’s November inspection of the company’s shipping procedures and practices.

“Based on the results of this inspection, nine apparent violations were identified and are being considered for escalated enforcement action,” wrote Mark R. Shaffer, division director of Nuclear Materials Safety.

Cameco came under additional scrutiny after an incident March 28-29 when its regular truckload of barium sulphate, bound for a containment cell at the White Mesa Mill, leaked onto the roadway………

According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission report, the list of violations against Cameco includes:

Failure to accurately assess, report and label barium-sulfate waste shipments,Failure to ship waste material in appropriate containers,Failure to test whether the material could withstand the vibration and acceleration of transportation,Failure to provide specific hazmat training.According to the report, errors in shipping paperwork at Cameco misclassified radioactive waste level as lower than the actual shipment, which led to it being shipped in the wrong container……..

Barium sulfate is a toxic byproduct of in situ uranium mining and is considered an environmental and human health hazard……https://the-journal.com/articles/43868