Taiwanese Agency Auditing Scrap Material

The Atomic Energy Council, a Taiwanese agency plans to conduct an audit of the nation's radioactive materials to make sure that none have been disposed of improperly or misplaced.

The move comes after radioactive rods were discovered among scrap metal that was destined for the smelter.

According to the council, the audit will begin on April 16 and run until July 15.

The agency plans to audit 538 companies that hold a total of 1,280 licenses to handle radioactive materials.

The primary purpose of the inventory check is to ensure that all materials are accounted for. The council's last audit was conducted in 1994.

When checking 19 steel works, council investigators also learned that the Liencheng Steel Plant in Taoyuan County had accidentally smelted cesium-137 in its furnaces three years ago.

The Liencheng plant has been shut down since April 1.

Three areas of the plant show radioactive contamination. But an analysis of 32 samples of water, soil and plants indicate no contamination of the environment.

In addition, the council discovered that roughly 40,000 metric tons of radioactive ash from the plant's furnaces are still stored at the plant.

The AEC has ordered the plant to come up with a clean-up plan by the end of this month.