Uranium spilled at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

[Ian David]

GLIDE Number: NC-20070309-10268-USA
Date / time: 09/03/2007 17:50:49
Event: Nuclear Event
Area: North-America
Country: USA
State/County: State of Tennessee
City: Oak Ridge
Number of Deads: None or unknow
Number of Injured: None or unknow
Damage level: Minor

Description:

An official for an Energy Department contractor at Oak Ridge says two spills of enriched uranium solution forced the shutdown of a uranium-recycling process at the nuclear weapons plant.

BWXT spokesman Bill Wilburn says no workers were contaminated.

The processing work at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant will remain on hold until officials can determine why the solution leaked from a storage tank inside the plant.

This is one of six chemical processes Y-12 uses in recycling highly enriched uranium, a key material in nuclear warheads.

The first spill involved more than two gallons of enriched uranium solution. It was discovered February sixth during a routine inspection.

A second spill of about eight ounces was reported a week later in the same area. Y-12 makes parts for every nuclear warhead in the U.S. arsenal and also is the nation's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.

More:
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?lang=eng&id=10268