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John Hollenhorst ReportingA train carrying low-level radioactive waste in Salt Lake triggered radiation alarms from an unusually long distance today at a facility outside railroad property. The incident triggered a brief investigation, but officials say there was no threat to human health.
The radiation detectors are on yellow poles where they weigh garbage trucks arriving at the county's trash transfer station. It's a little ways from the Union Pacific tracks, 75 to 100 yards. It appears the county's detectors picked up radioactivity from that distance.
It's not unusual for garbage trucks to set off radiation alarms at the Salt Lake Valley trash transfer station. The detectors, just inches away from the trucks, occasionally pick up radiation from traces of medical waste. But scalehouse operator Chris Benner's alarm was apparently triggered by a train on Union Pacific tracks. She paced it out and concluded it was at least 75 yards away. She says the alarm went off repeatedly until the train moved away.
Chris Benner, Scalehouse Operator: "About 15 minutes later, train backs up, same three cars set the radiation detector off again, exactly like they did the first time."
She was so amazed at the train's distance she called the man in charge of the county's radiation detectors.
Chris Benner, Scalehouse Operator: "I shot him a call real quick and asked him, 'How hot does a load have to be to set those detectors off?' And he said, 'Pretty damn hot!' was his exact words."
The train was operating in the Union Pacific Roper yard. Railroad officials confirm they were handling cars headed for the radioactive waste dump in Tooele County, once called Envirocare, it's now called Energy Solutions.
We observed officials inspecting three cars with hand-held radiation detectors. Union Pacific says the preliminary inspection found nothing unusual and they suggested the county detectors were overly sensitive.
From Benner's point of view, the detector did what it was supposed to.
Chris Benner: "I don't think they should be hauling something that hot right through the middle of this valley where there are people living."
State radiation officials say the readings they got from the railroad cars were well below the allowable limits. They found nothing improper, nothing illegal and nothing harmful, but they could not explain this bizarre incident.
It's the first time a train has triggered the alarm during Chris Benner's six years on the job.
