ML20198A669
| ML20198A669 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07001193 |
| Issue date: | 12/30/1974 |
| From: | Peck C US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| To: | US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20198A623 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-85-647 NUDOCS 8605210178 | |
| Download: ML20198A669 (6) | |
Text
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O 10 CfR 2.790 IRTOR7/
ION p. e ccel i
UNifEO STATES
}(
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION DIRECTORATc OF RECULATORY CPERATIONS i
. (ghates o' p' 799 ROOSEVELv ROAO OI2J 85s.2660 g
REG 10N lli vsuPtemc GLEN ELLYN ILLINOIS sol 37 Decenber 30, 1974 2n 10:III Files UNUSUAL INCIDENT INVOLVING UPANIUH PELLETS - K k
RO:III was inforned by the Director, Regulation On Decenber 17, 1974, and Control of the Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corporation that several low, j.
enriched uraniun dioxide pellets had been found on the ground outside The the uraniun fabrication building at the Cinnrron facility.
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majority of the pellets was found in the vicinity of the Safeguards
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office building which ta located about thirty feet outside the inner protective fence that surrounds the uraniu:n fabrication building but A few pellets were found near a door of within the perimeter fence.
another office building, about fifty feet fran the major concentration The licensee advised that he had no knowledge of the means by which the pelle.ts c.s=e to be in these locations, but had of pellets.
concluded that accidentel mishardlin*. ot
- a. apill could not have been the cause.
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The writer conducted an on-site investigation of the incident on Dece=ber 19 and 20 to learn as many of the facts about the occurrence Based on the original infornation provided, it was as possible.
concluded that the incident by itself did not constitute a health or safety threat, that the quantity of special nuclear material involved i
was not important fron an accountability standpoint, and that no divers on However, the incident was considered to be of an f
effort was indicated.
unusual nature and it was believed that information on the occur might prove useful in the future if any sequels to the event should oc 3
Discussions with the licensee personnel who had knowledge o'f the in
,1 The following people provided infornation:
were held on Decenber 19.
H. Moore, Strperintendent, Cinacron Facility R. Adkisson, Contracts Supervisor P. Carst, Safeguards Analyst 2 Plant E. Thompson, Superintendent, Uraniu:
E. Cordray, Supervisor, Ecalth Physics D. Cotham, Accountability Asalyst f
8605210170 060411
/ /Q g PDR FOIA JOHNSON 85-647 PDR 10 CFR 2.790 INFORMATION
KD~CFR 2.790 INFORMAT(Oi t
Decenber 30, 1974
. RO:III Tiles i
Inquiry disclosed that pellets were first discovered about The first few pellets found were on the ground to the U
December 16, 1974 Safeguards office. The Safeguards Analyst was joined by the Safeguords Supervisor, and they continued searching resulting in the finding of left of the door.
pellets and pc11et fragments totaling about a dozen pellets in the sicinity of the entrance and under the wooden steps in front of the door door of the nearby office building, then a couple
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The licensee conducted some fragments in the grass close to the walkway.
b 18 a thorough search of the area using health physics instruments on Dec and 19 and some additional ShH was found.The attached map shows the locations an 5
that all material had been found.
quantities of the findings and the area surveyed.
I?1 The table belov su=sarizes the quantities of material found:
Pellet Myf 00 Wt(g)
U Ut(g)
U-235 Ut(g)
Equivalent gl
_ Material _
2
(
M 12.6 164 144 2.9 7.7 1.98% Enriched 88 2.6 100 2.96% Enriched 4.0 O
Unknown Enrich-46 1.2
~24.3 52 Totals 316 278 E6.7
'" X ment An===m4 nation of the pellets found and the areas in which they were found lead to the following conclusinas by the inspector:
a About 25 pelicts were thrown from a location inside the inner protec i;,
The majority were thrown in the direction of the door of the 1.
~f A few of the pellets, about three, failed to clear fence.
j Safecuards effice.
The the fence and landed in the grass jun.t outside the fence.
reminder of the pellets were thrown in the direction of the door of the of fice building.
A person The pellets were distributed quickly in two or three throva.
or persons could have emerged from either the laboratory door or 2.
pellet storap,e area door with a pocketful or handful of pellets, t fabrication building within a few seconds.
.f* T them, and re-entered tha.
Those pellets that struck against the safet,uards building or othe Q
- 3 CFR 2.7EO it: FORMATION l
L, Td tM 179d IWOr.dTIOR December 30, 1974 /
no:III Files n ose that landed in grass or soft ground surfaceu were fraguented,ne incident probably occurred at night, remained unbroken, h
10, 1974 and ne date of the incident was probably between December sq nere 3.
h December 16, 1974, 10, 1974, the ground was soft and if t e was a snowfall on December ld
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pellets had been there before that date, at least some of them w have been embedded. None was embedded.
ne enrichments of the pellets also serve to place that incident between December 10 and December 16.
ne manufacture' of of 2.96% pellets was accomplished on December 9.Both enrichments wer M
1.98% pellets began on December 10.
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in the plant and laboratory during the time period.
f Here than A single individual probably was guilty of the incident.
.a.,
one person could have been involved in the planning of the event, 4.
but the incident itself is of a nature most effectively M
M that the pellets should be discovered, it is concluded that the by one person.
OLJ incident was an employee attempt to embarrass the company orWhet particular members of a:snagement.for themselves or believ
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larger group is unknown.
Dere is no connection between the pellet incident and an objec
- L-s H is item was 5.
has been referred to as a " zip gun" or pellet gun.It can best be described a ev=Mned during the investigation.It is shaped like a handg It is pieces of metal co:mnonly found in any manufacturing plant.
y;f spring operated, but will propel a pellet no more than three fee ne Superintendent of the Uranium Plant said that the object in a maintenance equipnent cabinet in the plant during a sea supervisers after the pellets were found.
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was to try to find a weapon or instrument which might have been use Subsequent to propel the. pellets.. The toy gun was the o
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It vas apparently made about two years ago, h j~
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operator with no malice intended, then stored away.
~h 10 CIR 2.790 INTOfiMATIOU
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e December 30, 1974 RD:III Files At the conclusion of the investigation on December 20, a group discussion l
3 of the incident took place attended by the following people:
.F,q AEC Licensee g
C. C. Peck M. Moore M. Binstock G. A. Phillip J. A. Finn d
D. Rhodes J. Marler
- 1. Adkisson E. Cordrey The licensee representatives were advised that 10:III classified the pellet incident as " malicious mischief." In answer to a question by Mr. Moore, it was stated that RO:III did not consider that any Federal Law had been c
violated by the incident, since diversion of special nuclear was not evident, there was no threat to health and safety, and the quantity of SNM The
' involved was not significant from an accountability standpoint.
writer stated that the incident met the dictionary definition of sabotage in that it was an obvious atte=pt to harm an employer, but not the definition of industrial sabotage in 10 CFR Part 73, since no danger to public health The writer said that RO:III appreciated the and safety was involved.
information supplied by the licensee and requested that AEC be provided with any additional information on the event and any sief tar unusual incidents that night occur.
t d
C. C. Peck, Chemist
~
Materials and Plant Protection Branch
Attachment:
As stated Z
cc w/ encl:
E. Thornberg, RO:EQ l
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