Cylinder ruptures in Russian uranium plant, technician killed - Reuters
Cylinder ruptures in Russian uranium plant, technician killed | Reuters
Cylinder ruptures in Russian uranium plant, technician killed
July 14 (Reuters) - One person was killed at a uranium enrichment plant in Russia's Urals region on Friday after a cylinder containing a depleted uranium compound ruptured, state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.
It said that radiation levels at the plant and surrounding area were normal and that the incident posed no threat to people living in the area.
"We are deeply saddened to announce a tragic incident at the Ural Electrochemical Plant, resulting in a worker fatality," Rosatom said.
It said the worker died from a "mechanical injury" caused by a breach in a container of uranium hexafluoride, a chemical compound used in uranium enrichment.
Rosatom, which owns the plant, said the depleted form of the compound was less radioactive than natural uranium. It said other staff had been sent for medical examination and most had already been discharged after undergoing decontamination procedures.
"There is no danger of any kind for residents of the city of Novouralsk or the staff of the plant," the plant's deputy production manager, Yuri Mineyev, said.
The plant says it enriches uranium for use in nuclear power stations and is the largest of its kind in the world. The causes of the incident are being investigated, it said.
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.