ENS Event | |
|---|---|
04:00 Aug 15, 2024 | |
| Title | Unplanned Contamination Involving Melting of Source |
| Event Description | The following summary was provided by via phone:
The facility Steel of West Virginia notified the NRC (see National Response Center report #1408695 for additional notifications) to inform them that they potentially melted a Cesium-137 (Cs-137) source during their melting process before shipping scrap metal to another facility in Chicago, Illinois. Radiation detectors indicated positive readings for Cs-137 in the atmosphere at this facility. The source of the material is unknown at this time. Investigation is underway. The state of West Virginia were able to take radiation readings in the facility's bag house and readings were 550 microRem/hour. The state of Illinois likewise notified the NRC during the discovery of the shipment of bag house dust from the West Virginia steel mill had tripped a portal alarm upon arrival in Chicago. The Cs-137 was identified in the load with the dust surveying approximately 1.7 mR/hour on contact with the truck. The shipment is planned to be returned to West Virginia under a Department of Transportation (US DOT) special permit. West Virginia program staff are on site at the steel mill and confirmed Cs-137 contamination. Early indications are that a load of scrap, received on or about August 15, 2024, contained a Cs-137 source and was melted in the mill's electric arc furnace. The mill staff surveyed QA samples from recent melts and believe that the Cs-137 volatilized as it wasn't identified in finished steel product. |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Swva, Inc. Huntington, West Virginia (NRC Region 1) | |
| License number: | 47-16310-03 |
| Organization: | Steel Of West Virginia |
| Reporting | |
| 10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+179.97 h7.499 days <br />1.071 weeks <br />0.247 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Michael Winarta 15:58 Aug 22, 2024 |
| NRC Officer: | Brian P. Smith |
| Last Updated: | Aug 22, 2024 |
| 57283 - NRC Website | |
Swva, Inc. with 10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 572832024-08-15T04:00:00015 August 2024 04:00:00
[Table view]10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) Unplanned Contamination Involving Melting of Source 2024-08-15T04:00:00 | |