CBRN event in Sverdlovsk , Novouralsk area, Russian Federation on Fri 14th July 2023

Uranium Plant Explosion in Russia Sparks Nuclear Radiation Fears

An explosion at a uranium enrichment plant in Russia's Urals region on Friday prompted Russia's state nuclear corporation to publish a statement to ease fears. At around 9 a.m. local time, a cylinder with depleted uranium hexafluoride "depressurized" in a workshop at the Ural Electrochemical Combine in Novouralsk, the statement from Rosatom, which owns the plant—the largest uranium enrichment plant in the world—said. Uranium hexafluoride is a chemical used during the uranium enrichment process. Russian media outlets often use euphemisms such as "loud bang" or "depressurized" instead of "blast" or "explosion," allegedly to avoid sowing panic and to maintain a "favorable information landscape." Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti cited a source in emergency services as saying that one person had died and that radiation levels at the facility were normal. Rosatom said the incident was "promptly localized" and added that there was no risk to people living near the plant. "The workshop is being sanitized. The rest are operating normally," the company said. "Measurements of background radiation were carried out at the site. It amounted to 0.17 microsieverts, which corresponds to natural values." The global average of naturally occurring background radiation is 0.17-0.39 microsieverts per hour, Reuters previously reported, citing the World Nuclear Association. One person, a 65-year-old "dedicated equipment maintenance technician" was killed in the "tragic incident" at the plant, Rosatom told Newsweek in a statement. "The General Director of Ural Electrochemical Plant, Alexander Dudin, together with the entire plant collective and the State Corporation 'Rosatom,' express heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased for their devastating loss," it said. More than 100 workers from the plant were being taken to a nearby hospital for examination and are likely not injured, according to the Russian news outlet E1, which added that doctors who were on vacation and not working were called in "urgently." Rosatom said workers present at the time of the incident "underwent medical examination at the Central Clinical Hospital No. 31 of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia in Novouralsk." "We are relieved to report that most workers have been discharged after undergoing decontamination procedures, and their lives and health are not at risk," the statement said. Rosatom said it has formed a "dedicated commission" to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. "Our priority is to identify the root causes and implement robust preventive measures to eliminate any chance of recurrence," it said. Vyacheslav Tyumentsev, the head of Novouralsk, asked residents not to panic and said the situation "is under control," Russian media reported. "There is no danger of any kind for residents of the city of Novouralsk or the staff of the plant," said the plant's deputy production manager, Yuri Mineyev, adding that the factory was working normally.