This is the same area as the Eastern Seaboard message from the other night. Also within 50 miles of the 2 arrested with fake Israel passports.
Leaking truck forces shutdown of Hwy. 95 in Roane Co.
May 14, 2004
OAK RIDGE (WATE) -- Authorities shut down Highway 95 Friday between Bethel Valley and Bear Creek Roads in Roane County after a truck carrying radioactive material was discovered leaking.
Just before 11:30 Friday morning the truck left the waste management area just south of the ORNL complex.
It left the west entrance to ORNL and went down Bethel Valley Road and then north on Highway 95 and onto Bear Creek Road.
The truck ended up at a nuclear waste disposal site near the Y-12 complex. The truck was carrying an isotope known as strontium 90.
As it headed up a hill on Highway 95, droplets of the material leaked onto the pavement in at least one spot.
"Our concern is to deal with the emergency, work with the state, assess the situation, and bring it to a quick and safe resolution," Steven Wyatt, DOE spokesman said.
Special meters were used to check state trooper's cars and any other vehicles to see if they drove through the radiation. They also checked the road.
Roane County Emergency Management Agency Director Howie Rose showed 6 News the monitors being used to detect any radiation on the road. He said the detection process is "time consuming" because workers must check every inch the truck traveled.
"What we would do is hold the probe approximately one inch above the surface and slowly sweep the area to see if we had any rise in the level of radiation that it says is present," explained Howie Rose, director of Roane Emergency Management.
Health physics technicians spent the night monitoring the highway for other signs of radiation.
The Department of Energy says the material is fixed into the pavement and doesn't pose a threat to the public.
There are no homes in the area and no one has gotten sick so there is no reason for evacuation according to Rose.
Highway 95 will remain closed to traffic until the cleanup is completed.
Steve Wyatt, a Department of Energy spokesperson, told 6 News he doesn't know how long the road will be closed. He said state officials requested the closure and will make the decision when to reopen it.
MORE INFORMATION ON BETA RADIATION
It's described as a by-product of radioactive decay, or low level waste.
It can travel short distances of a few yards through the air.
In large doses, beta radiation can burn and penetrate skin to the new skin cell layer. Thick clothing and glasses can provide sufficient protect from beta radiation in small doses.
The greatest risk to health is if you inhale or ingest beta radiation.
Wyatt said the leak was noticed when the truck arrived at the Y-12 disposal cell after traveling from ORNL. He said transportation between the two facilities is common.
The Department of Energy says it was unrelated to any research at ORNL.
Some ORNL workers were cleared Friday evening to drive part of Highway 95 after it tested okay.
The Department of Energy is working with the state to figure out the best way to remove the radiation from Highway 95.
The cleanup could be done as early as Saturday or as late as a few days.
Officials said in a worst case scenario, crews could have to dig up some contaminated ground
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=1868990