Timken Plant Temporarily Closes Melting Operations

Earlier this week radioactive metal dust was detected in a truck after it delivered a load of scrap metal to Timken’s Faircrest, Ohio facility. The material found, cesium 137, is often found in medical equipment. One report had it that the load that contained the radioactive material was from a scrap metal load from a demolition site.

After detecting the radioactive material the company closed down its scrap metal operations while Timken brought in a cleanup crew to clean up the contaminated part of the plant. The Ohio Department of Health also was contacted.

The melting facility, which was contaminated by the radioactive scrap, is expected to be closed for several weeks while the cleanup is performed. However, the company’s rolling mill will continue to operate.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, radiation detection equipment did not spot the cesium 137 before the material was delivered to the plant. After the scrap was melted, the metal dust was collected in a baghouse intake above the furnace. The dust was moved through a closed-loop evacuation system and encapsulated in the truck for hauling to a hazwaste disposal site.