May 17, 2010
West Virginia EPA Determined Orange Haze at Huntington Special Metals Non-Hazardous, Following Precautionary Report to National Response Center
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – A huge fireball and orange haze rising from the Special Metals plant in Huntington attracted dozens of call to Cabell 911.
The cloud has dissipated and a spokesperson at the plant has told an area TV station that “it did not appear to be any kind of hazard.” However, company spokesman Dwight Weber told another TV station that the project had “high iron content” and a “crane malfunctioned,” causing a “reaction between the iron and an unknown chemical.”
Weber told the station that the company had notified the National Response Center about the incident.
A representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told HNN by phone that the incident had been determined by West Virginia DEP as non-hazardous. Both he and a representative from the NRC stated that often precautionary reports are made to the NRC when uncertainty exists of the discharge.
“It’s better to err on the side of caution,” the EPA spokesperson said. By making the preliminary report, the facility has complied with regulations should the spill or emission be determined later as hazardous.
A full report on the incident should be available in 24-48 hours, according to the EPA representative.
Among EPA Releases Excluded from reporting include “any release which results in exposure to persons solely within a workplace.” http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/reporting/faq_excl.htm.
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West Virginia EPA Determined Orange Haze at Huntington Special Metals Non-Hazardous, Following Precautionary Report to National Response Center
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – A huge fireball and orange haze rising from the Special Metals plant in Huntington attracted dozens of call to Cabell 911.
The cloud has dissipated and a spokesperson at the plant has told an area TV station that “it did not appear to be any kind of hazard.” However, company spokesman Dwight Weber told another TV station that the project had “high iron content” and a “crane malfunctioned,” causing a “reaction between the iron and an unknown chemical.”
Weber told the station that the company had notified the National Response Center about the incident.
A representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told HNN by phone that the incident had been determined by West Virginia DEP as non-hazardous. Both he and a representative from the NRC stated that often precautionary reports are made to the NRC when uncertainty exists of the discharge.
“It’s better to err on the side of caution,” the EPA spokesperson said. By making the preliminary report, the facility has complied with regulations should the spill or emission be determined later as hazardous.
A full report on the incident should be available in 24-48 hours, according to the EPA representative.
Among EPA Releases Excluded from reporting include “any release which results in exposure to persons solely within a workplace.” http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/reporting/faq_excl.htm.
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
