NRC: News Release - Region II - 2006-027 - NRC Special Inspection Team to Hold Public Meeting May 3 to Review Honeywell Fuel Plant Leak

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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II
61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
www.nrc.gov

No. II-06-027		April 27, 2006
CONTACT:	Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417	E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov
NRC SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING MAY 3 TO REVIEW HONEYWELL FUEL PLANT LEAK Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II office in Atlanta will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 3 in Metropolis, Ill., by a special NRC inspection team at the Honeywell International nuclear fuel processing plant to discuss circumstances surrounding an inadvertent leak of UF₆ (uranium hexafluoride) in a building at the plant on April 4. There was no release of material outside the building. NRC officials said the release was small, and radiological exposure to workers was minimal. One worker did sustain a slight reddening of skin on the arm due to chemical exposure to the UF₆ gas. The Honeywell special inspection was led by Jay Henson from the NRC’s Region II office in Atlanta, and the rest of the team included two additional Region II inspectors and one resident inspector from the USEC fuel facility in nearby Paducah, Ky. The inspection team reviewed the event and its overall safety significance. The inspectors also assessed the plant operators’ performance as well as any corrective actions that were being implemented as a result of previous events at the facility. In addition, the team also looked at Honeywell’s procedures, the company’s response to the events and any investigations or reviews by the company. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Metropolis Community Center, at 516 Superman Square. The NRC team will announce the preliminary results of the inspection and a final publicly-available report will be issued within 30 days.