July 30, 2010
Former Huntington Uranium Processing Plant Had Three Buildings and Used 364 Toxic Substances
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The U.S. Department of Labor has a new and expanded data base on line listing information on toxic substances used at former Department of Energy Plants. The uranium / nickel processing plant which was active in Huntington from about 1951-1962 (Huntington Pilot Plant/ Reduction Pilot Plant) became so contaminated that by 1978-1979 it was dismantled and buried on the grounds of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Piketon, Ohio).
Contrary to previous data, there were THREE buildings that make up the DOE plant on the INCO property in Huntington --- the Process Plant (buried), Compressor Building (now waste water treatment plant) and the Gas Crackling Plant.
According to the DOL, 364 “toxic substances” were used at the Huntington Pilot Plant. Among the chemicals contained at the plant were nitro-cellulose and nitroglycerin (described as explosives and explosive components).
Thorium (and all its classes including Th-232), neptunium, plutonium and uranium are radioactive substances used at the plant. Thorium can be “used as a nuclear fuel through breeding to fissile uranium-233,” according to world-nuclear.org/info. Th-232, which was contained at the plant, decays very slowly --- “its half-life is about three times the age of the earth,” the world-nuclear.org web site states.
Described as a “soft metal with bright silvery luster,” the metal is listed as one of those used in “starting material activation” at the HPP/RPP plant. Neptunium, Plutonium, and Uranium are also listed as materials for “starting activation” work at the plant. Uranium is listed as having been stored at the plant. Hazardous material data is obtained through the National Library of Medicine.
By comparison, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Piketon, Ohio) had used 745 toxic materials during its operation.
The process building of the Huntington Pilot Plant was buried in a classified burial yard at the Piketon site . The DOL site lists the following hazardous chemicals as contained at the burial yard which contains classified and contaminated materials: Asbestos, Chlorodiphenyl, diesel exhaust, hantavirus, Histoplasma capsulatum. Hydrofluoric acid, kerosene, nickel carbonyl, petroleum mid-distillate, uranium, uranium hexafluoride and uranyl fluoride.
(Editor’s Note: To provide a perspective on the types of materials utilized and/or recycled in Huntington during the Cold War, a look at the contents of Building 3027 Nuclear Materials Storage Vault (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, X-10) included: Americium oxide, Neptunium oxide, Plutonium dioxide, Thorium, Thorium dioxide, and various types of depleted, enriched, and natural uranium. In Huntington, only nickel and various forms of uranium , including enriched and depleted were stored at the facility.)
For a full list of toxic materials considered in the Worker’s Compensation programs for former workers of HPP/RPP, click: http://www.sem.dol.gov/expanded/Tox2.cfm
The former plant has only one “incident” displayed on the website involving Limonene used in degreasing and metal cleaning. The time frame for the incident is 1970-2008.
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Former Huntington Uranium Processing Plant Had Three Buildings and Used 364 Toxic Substances
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The U.S. Department of Labor has a new and expanded data base on line listing information on toxic substances used at former Department of Energy Plants. The uranium / nickel processing plant which was active in Huntington from about 1951-1962 (Huntington Pilot Plant/ Reduction Pilot Plant) became so contaminated that by 1978-1979 it was dismantled and buried on the grounds of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Piketon, Ohio).
Contrary to previous data, there were THREE buildings that make up the DOE plant on the INCO property in Huntington --- the Process Plant (buried), Compressor Building (now waste water treatment plant) and the Gas Crackling Plant.
According to the DOL, 364 “toxic substances” were used at the Huntington Pilot Plant. Among the chemicals contained at the plant were nitro-cellulose and nitroglycerin (described as explosives and explosive components).
Thorium (and all its classes including Th-232), neptunium, plutonium and uranium are radioactive substances used at the plant. Thorium can be “used as a nuclear fuel through breeding to fissile uranium-233,” according to world-nuclear.org/info. Th-232, which was contained at the plant, decays very slowly --- “its half-life is about three times the age of the earth,” the world-nuclear.org web site states.
Described as a “soft metal with bright silvery luster,” the metal is listed as one of those used in “starting material activation” at the HPP/RPP plant. Neptunium, Plutonium, and Uranium are also listed as materials for “starting activation” work at the plant. Uranium is listed as having been stored at the plant. Hazardous material data is obtained through the National Library of Medicine.
By comparison, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (Piketon, Ohio) had used 745 toxic materials during its operation.
The process building of the Huntington Pilot Plant was buried in a classified burial yard at the Piketon site . The DOL site lists the following hazardous chemicals as contained at the burial yard which contains classified and contaminated materials: Asbestos, Chlorodiphenyl, diesel exhaust, hantavirus, Histoplasma capsulatum. Hydrofluoric acid, kerosene, nickel carbonyl, petroleum mid-distillate, uranium, uranium hexafluoride and uranyl fluoride.
(Editor’s Note: To provide a perspective on the types of materials utilized and/or recycled in Huntington during the Cold War, a look at the contents of Building 3027 Nuclear Materials Storage Vault (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, X-10) included: Americium oxide, Neptunium oxide, Plutonium dioxide, Thorium, Thorium dioxide, and various types of depleted, enriched, and natural uranium. In Huntington, only nickel and various forms of uranium , including enriched and depleted were stored at the facility.)
For a full list of toxic materials considered in the Worker’s Compensation programs for former workers of HPP/RPP, click: http://www.sem.dol.gov/expanded/Tox2.cfm
The former plant has only one “incident” displayed on the website involving Limonene used in degreasing and metal cleaning. The time frame for the incident is 1970-2008.
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