Drunk Driver Caused Accident Involving Radioactive Cargo, Police Say

More about the truck accident in WV. The uranium hexfluoride being carried by the tractor trailer could have caused serious damage had the tank been breached. The emphasis on the description of U hexfluoride is mine; the link to the Argonne National Laboratory is in the original article.

August 2, 2009

SUMMERS COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The entire Town of Sandstone and surrounding areas were evacuated after a tractor trailer carrying radioactive material caught fire, but tests have confirmed that there is no danger.

It happened at midnight Sunday morning on I-64 at the 139 mile marker, which is near the Sandstone exit in Summers County.

A news release from the West Virginia State Police says the driver of a pickup truck headed west on I-64 was drunk when he ran off the road and struck a guardrail, causing his truck to roll over through the median, landing in the shoulder of the east bound lanes. The driver of the tractor trailer was headed east and locked up his brakes to avoid the debris from the pickup truck that was left in the road. The tractor trailer then veered to the right and hit a rock embankment, overturned and caught fire.

The tractor trailer was carrying a corrosive material that has been determined to be radioactive.

Just before 3:30 a.m., HAZMAT crews reached the scene and determined that the container holding the material was not damaged and none of the material leaked. The crews also tested the air around the wreck and found no contamination.

A 911 dispatcher says the evacuation of the town was a precaution at the time, and residents are now allowed to return to their homes.

Cpl. Z.M. Duke with the Hinton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police tells WSAZ.com that the chemical inside the truck was Uranium hexafluoride. He says it was a large container holding 32,000 pounds of the material. The truck was headed to Portsmouth, Virginia, for export. It was not known from where the truck was coming.

According to a Web site run by the Argonne National Laboratory, Uranium hexfluoride (UF6) is the chemical form of uranium that is used during the uranium enrichment process.

Here is information from the Web site about how the chemical reacts with air and water:

Uranium hexafluoride does not react with oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or dry air, but it does react with water or water vapor. For this reason, UF6 is always handled in leak tight containers and processing equipment. When UF6 comes into contact with water, such as water vapor in the air, the UF6 and water react, forming corrosive hydrogen fluoride (HF) and a uranium-fluoride compound called uranyl fluoride (UO2F2).

Here are the health dangers of UF6, according to the same site:

In addition, if UF6 is released to the atmosphere, the uranium compounds and HF that are formed by reaction with moisture in the air can be chemically toxic. Uranium is a heavy metal that, in addition to being radioactive, can have toxic chemical effects (primarily on the kidneys) if it enters the bloodstream by means of ingestion or inhalation. HF is an extremely corrosive gas that can damage the lungs and cause death if inhaled at high enough concentrations.

Duke says about 100 people left their homes and went to Summers County Middle School during the precautionary evacuation period, and that process went relatively smoothly.

The truck driver was not seriously hurt. He was taken to the hospital and later and returned to the scene, according to the 911 dispatcher. The driver of the pickup truck was also not seriously hurt, but was cited for driving under the influence. No names have been released yet.

I-64 east was shut down in the area most of the day Sunday, but was re-opened at about 6:54 p.m. I-64 west and Route 20 in the area of the accident were also closed for hours, but were re-open earlier in the day.

Emergency crews from Raleigh and Kanawha counties responded to assist with the situation.

http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/52277727.html

Police on Drugs Raid Find Mysterious Uranium Stash

• John Silvester
• April 2, 2009

POLICE uncovered a secret stash of uranium in country Victoria during a series of top-level drug raids yesterday.

They have no idea why a drug suspect would have hidden the material in a storage area near Bendigo.

Detectives from the Petra Taskforce and Ethical Standards Department, backed by the Special Operations Group carried out eight raids in Melbourne and country Victoria.

They allegedly found a working amphetamine lab in a house in Preston. But they also found about 300 grams of uranium oxide in a Harcourt Storage property.

A team from the Department of Human Services wearing special protective gear was called in remove the uranium and take it to a safe facility.

Police say uranium is not used to produce illicit drugs.

Uranium oxide is the "raw" or naturally found form of uranium. In this form it is not usable for either reactor fuel or a weapon. To be refined into reactor-grade fuel, it must go through an expensive and complex enrichment process.

A man, 46, was arrested nearby at High Street, Kangaroo Flat. Police seized approximately $120,000 cash, a handgun and chemicals suspected of being intended for use in the manufacture of amphetamine.

The man has refused to say why he had hidden the uranium or for what purpose he had obtained the radioactive material.

Police seized eight litres of liquid amphetamines at a house in Penola Street, Preston. They also seized $35,000 in cash. A Preston man, 42, was charged with trafficking in a drug of dependence.

A third man, 49, was arrested at a home on Bulla Road, Bulla, where police seized 50 hydroponic cannabis plants, chemicals and glassware suspected of being intended for use in the manufacture of [meth]amphetamine.

The raids by Petra are part of a joint Office of Police Integrity/ Victoria Police investigation, codenamed Operation Plyers, into the leaking of confidential police documents.

Petra was established to investigate the murders of police informer Terence Hodson and his wife Christine, who were killed in their Kew home in May 2004.

Former drug squad detective sergeant Paul Dale and Rod Collins have been charged over the murders.

When Collins was arrested in his Northcote house, detectives found the 58-page confidential police report on a major drug dealer.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/police-on-drugs-raid-find-mysterious-uranium-stash-20090401-9jsq.html

AU Police Raids Uncover Uranium, Drugs and Cash

As if methamphetamine labs aren't dangerous enough for law enforcement to deal with...PittCo Sheriff's Dept. might need nuclear-grade haz-mat suits.

Updated Wed Apr 1, 2009 8:24pm AEDT

Police raids on a number of properties in Victoria have uncovered uranium, a drug laboratory, chemicals and cash.

The raids were connected to the investigation into the leaking of confidential Victorian police documents, which has revealed links between members of Victoria Police and criminals.

Investigators for the Petra Taskforce - initially formed to examine the murders of police informant Terrence Hodson and his wife - uncovered the items during raids on properties at Preston, Bulla, Kangaroo Flat, and Harcourt.

Two Melbourne men aged 42 and 49 were charged with several drugs offences and will return to court at a later date, while a 46-year-old Kangaroo Flat man will face similar charges in the Bendigo Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Police say they are confident they have smashed a well organised syndicate involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs.

The Office of Police Integrity (OPI) says it is not alleged that police are implicated in the activity which led to today's arrests.

The inquiries into the leaking of police documents are continuing.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/01/2532520.htm?section=justin