Radioactive liquid spilled outside Tri-Cities nuclear fuel plant. Here’s what happened

About half of the radioactive liquid in a 55-gallon drum spilled outside at the Framatome plant in Richland this week, according to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report.

The plant on Horn Rapids Road in Richland, Wash., fabricates uranium fuel for nuclear power plants.

A forklift was being used Tuesday to move a pallet of four plastic 55-gallon drums of uranium nitrate solution.

Two drums of the toxic liquid fell off the pallet and into the sea-land container where they were stored, according to the NRC.

One of the drums split and leaked radioactive liquid into the container, according to the NRC.

The report available to the public blacked out the section showing how much liquid the drum held before half of its contents spilled and the level of uranium concentration of the contents.

The spill contaminated the inside of the container, the forklift and some of the asphalt under and near the container.

Framatome’s on-site health and safety experts took steps to secure the area, ensure no worker was contaminated and protect the environment, according to Framatome.

The spill, which was in an area controlled for radiological materials, was contained with no soil contamination, according to Framatome.

The worker who was moving the pallet was not contaminated, the NRC confirmed.

“A strong nuclear safety culture is our first priority, and we are conducting a root cause analysis to determine the cause of the circumstances that resulted in the drums falling during movement and implement measures to prevent a similar occurrence in the future,” Framatome said in a statement.

This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.