Fernald Leak

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

Guess it's just not Ohio's day, in the press!
-----------------
 FERNALD, Ohio, Dec. 31-- The Department of Energy announced
 ``a  major problem'' involving the leak of a giant melter at the 
former Fernald uranium processing plant must be resolved before a 
decision can be made to proceed with a vitrification project. 
 The DOE said Tuesday the leaking material, which is not radioactive, 
 ignited a small fire last week, spread fumes and sent about a ton of
molten material flowing onto the plant floor. 
 The material was comprised of barium and lead -- toxic materials. 
However, the Energy Department, using Environmental Protection Agency
guidelines, said the leaked material was ``non-toxic'' because of the
level of heavy metals involved. 
 The entire vitrification project has been completely shut down as a 
result of the incident. 
 The project is attempting to recover 4,500 grams of radium (slightly 
 less than 10 pounds) from 10,000 tons of nuclear waste at the plant. 
 Fernald, located 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati, has the largest- 
known supply of radium in the world. 
 DOE and Fluor Daniel Fernald officials must chip away the now- 
hardened glass product to determine how the hole in the melter
developed, and that may take as long as a month. 
 Fluor Daniel Fernald signed a five-year, $2.5 billion contract in 
Dec. 1992 to manage the plant. It is responsible for the vitrification
project. 
 The vitrification process transforms the radioactive waste into 
glasslike beads, which would be transported to a nuclear disposal site
in Nevada. 
 

Sandy Perle
Director, Technical Operations
ICN Dosimetry Division
Office: (800) 548-5100 Ext. 2306 
Fax: (714) 668-3149

E-Mail: sandyfl@ix.netcom.com    

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