 |
NRC NEWS
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III
801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 |
| CONTACT: |
Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov |
|
Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov |
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-48 August 26, 1996
CONTACT: Jan Strasma 630/829-9663
Angela Dauginas 630/829-9662
E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC AUGMENTED INSPECTION TEAM TO PRESENT FINDINGS
AT URANIUM FUEL PLANT IN MISSOURI
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Augmented Inspection Team will meet
Wednesday (August 28) with ABB Combustion Engineering, Inc., officials to discuss
findings of its recent inspection at the uranium fuel facility.
The meeting will be at 10 a.m. at the facility in Hematite, Missouri, and will be open
for public observation. The facility is on Highway P approximately two miles south of
Highway A. After the meeting there will be an opportunity for questions from reporters and
for comments and questions from members of the public.
NRC dispatched the special team to the facility on August 22 to review the
circumstances surrounding the improper mixing of nitric acid and potassium hydroxide which
produced a strong chemical reaction in a tank outside the facility on that day. The chemical
reaction ignited a plastic liner of an adjacent tank containing flooring cleaning residue.
Surveys by the company showed no evidence of any releases of radioactive material
associated with the incident. NRC's on-site team has performed independent surveys which
were sent to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for evaluation.
The facility processes low-enriched uranium and manufactures fuel for nuclear power
plants. The company has ceased work in the area of the tanks pending a final review by the
NRC and the company.
The team will issue a written report in several weeks.
# # # #
|
