Radiation in the Homeland: Honeywell’s Guilty Plea Shows Importance of Unions

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from In These Times:




Radiation in the Homeland: Honeywell’s Guilty Plea Shows Importance of Unions

Tuesday
Mar 22, 2011
4:19 pm

By Mike Elk


Attention is now turned to the radiation being released in Japan following the massive earthquake there this month. Unfortunately, Americans don't have to look abroad to discover this kind of frightening scenario: This month, defense contractor Honeywell pleaded guilty to releasing radioactive material into the community of Metropolis, Ill. The episode shows, once again, the importance of a unionized workforce for providing for the safety of workers.

Honeywell International Inc. pleaded guilty two weeks ago in federal court “to one felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous radioactive waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).” The waste was stored in such a way that large quantities of radioactive KOH mud were leaching into the water stream of the nearby Ohio River. Honeywell was fined $11.8 million by the federal government.

At the Honeywell uranium facility, air emissions from the UF6 conversion process are scrubbed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) prior to being released into the atmosphere. As a result of this process, a type of radioactive mud settles on the scrubbers which have to be released. This material, called "KOH mud," was stored in drums in the open air behind the uranium plant in Metropolis and was able to leak into the Ohio River, which runs next to the plant.

Honeywell knew that because the pH of KOH mud generated at the facility was greater than or equal to 12.5, it is classified as corrosive hazardous waste. Honeywell thus illegally stored radioactive material, and by doing so threatened the long-term health of the nearby community. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/7108/honeywells_guilty_plea_shows_importance_of_unions_in_prevent_radioacti/