NSSC Investigates Leakage of Waste Subject to Taekwang Industrial's Self-Disposal... No Environmental Impact Detected

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced on the 21st that it is conducting an on-site investigation after receiving a report on the 19th that liquid waste leaked during the sampling of an approximately 96.5-ton storage tank at Taekwang Industrial located in Ulsan.

The NSSC explained that Taekwang Industrial was preparing to dispose of radioactive waste subject to self-disposal when the leakage occurred. While a worker was collecting sludge-type waste stored in the tank on the 19th, about 2 tons of liquid leaked outside the tank through the tank's entrance, and 0.5 tons of it were recovered.

Accordingly, the NSSC dispatched experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety to the site to conduct an investigation. After evaluating the radiation impact on the workplace, liquid waste, nearby stormwater pipes, and streams, the NSSC stated that it has determined there is no environmental impact.

According to reports, the NSSC measured the waste and the area around the tank with contamination detectors and found no contamination. Radiation dose rate measurements were also confirmed to be within the natural background range of 0.1 to 0.2 μSv/h.

The waste Taekwang Industrial intended to dispose of has an annual expected exposure dose of less than 10 μSv, indicating a very low radiation level that can be managed as general waste. The annual exposure limit for the general public is 1000 μSv.

Analysis of the radioactivity concentration of the liquid waste collected by Taekwang Industrial at the time of leakage showed 0.046 Bq/ml, which did not reach the regulatory exemption concentration of 1 Bq/g set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Additionally, the NSSC added that samples from stormwater pipes and streams near Taekwang Industrial’s workplace were evaluated at about 4.0×10^-6 Bq/ml. It was confirmed that this level is comparable to uranium concentration values measured in domestic rivers or seawater.

The waste subject to disposal was generated during the process of producing acrylonitrile, where depleted uranium was used as a catalyst. Depleted uranium is characterized by having lower radioactivity compared to natural uranium.

An NSSC official stated, "The NSSC is securing additional samples for analysis to conduct a more accurate assessment."

He added, "Since waste leaked during the work process, we plan to thoroughly investigate radioactive waste management based on CCTV footage, various records, and interviews with related personnel to prevent similar incidents from recurring, and disclose the results."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.