Radioactive Material Taken From Old PermaGrain Pla
Washington, DC, Oct. 1--Federal regulators have safely shipped a large amount of radioactive material to South Carolina from a defunct floor-manufacturing plant in central Pennsylvania, officials said.
The "large quantity" of colbalt-60 was being stored in a pool irradiator at the former Quehanna factory since PermaGrain Products, declared bankruptcy in December, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Since then, the NRC and the U.S.
The EPA has been working to clear the waste, the last of which was delivered to a disposal site in Barnwell, SC last week.
PermaGrain, which manufactured wood and stone flooring, employed 120 people at its peak. Its plant was located in the state-owned Quehanna wildlife area. The cobalt was used to mold plastics with wood to harden and extend the life of commercial flooring. The firm's assets were purchased by Gammapar early this year.
