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NUKE PRO: Exposing Truth
Anti-Nuclear Information and Resources, and Disaster Preparation Planning: http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/
By: Jim Phelps
Copyright 2004, 2005
When the criticality pressure pulse ruptured one of the bellows valves and the fluorine and UF-6 gas hit oil and water in and around the valve, a sizable explosion occurred that blew a shielding plug out of the floor and blew some metal sheeting off the side of the building due to the blast effect. The noise and building shutter was overheard and felt by one of the MSRE building workers named Richard Mathis. Mathis called the ORNL I and C Division to report the explosion problem after normal working hours. The ORNL I and C Division was named for Reactor Instrumentation and Controls, and they used to design reactor controls. Richard Mathis [Jewish Surname] has the very unusual U-233 contamination retained in his body from the event. Mathis used to work for the I and C Division.Late in the evening the message of the explosion reached Hugh Brashears of the ORNL I and C Division, who sent up a technician named Clint Miller [Jewish Surname] to survey the damage. I was there when this happened and when the damage report came back. Brashers asked Miller if the sheeting blown off the side of the building could be seen from the road. The answer was that it could not be seen very well and the decision was made to push the siding back down, clean up the damage, and hide the explosion. With this cover up began the story of health damage to the workers exposed to HF in this building's air.