Uranium enrichment plant accident in Russia
An accident at a uranium enrichment plant in central Russia’s Ural mountains has left one worker dead and more than 100 were taken to a hospital for radiation inspections, local media reported Friday, The Moskow Times reports.
The plant said there was one “victim” in the depressurization of a cylinder containing depleted uranium hexafluoride, without indicating whether the person was killed or injured. Uranium hexafluoride is a key element in the enrichment process, which produces fuel for both nuclear plants and weapons.
Local news outlet E1.ru, citing anonymous sources, said the person was killed in the incident.
“Something broke off somewhere and everything fell,” an unnamed worker was quoted as saying.
The outlet reported that more than 100 workers of the Urals Electrochemical Combine, a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom, were taken to a nearby hospital for radiation check-ups.
The Urals Electrochemical Combine — which is located in the closed town of Novouralsk in the Sverdlovsk region — said staff at the workshop where the incident took place were evacuated and sanitation work was underway at the site.
Radiation levels at the plant and the surrounding area were normal and the accident posed no threat to public health, it said, adding that the causes of the incident were being established.
