Outokumpu Torino Steel Facility Cited for Repeated Radiation Incident

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Outokumpu’s Torino steel facility in Finland was cited for radiation incident, for the fourth time since July this year. According to report by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority STUK, radioactive material was detected in scrap metal batch at the plant and the same was removed before smelting.

The batch of scrap metal containing radioactive americium material was shipped from Holland and the Baltic states. Incidentally, all the three previous radiation incidents also involved americium. The monitoring and safety mechanisms at the facility spotted the radioactive material and prevented it from spreading outside the plant. The workers were forced to wear oxygen masks and were not exposed to radiation, STUK said.

The case has been notified to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Further, STUK stated that it is quite exceptional for the same facility to witness repeated occurrence of radiation sources over a short period of time.

Meantime, Outokumpu stated that the issue has already been addressed with suppliers. It further clarified that the output was unaffected and products were not contaminated. The company has taken the issue with utmost seriousness in order to ensure that radioactive materials are prevented from ending up in production lines. In accordance with contracts with suppliers, such materials are strictly prohibited to be accepted at plants, it noted. The presence of radioactivity could be accidental, it added.

The Torino steelmaking facility is one of the biggest steel plants in Europe.