By Angela Hatton
Metropolis, IL – Just a day after Honeywell Corporation restarted production of uranium hexafluoride at its Metropolis plant, the United Steel Workers union is claiming an explosion on site. Temporary workers have been undergoing training to produce the nuclear fuel commonly called UF-6. According to the local USW, the explosion occurred around four PM Sunday. Union members picketing at the site say they heard the explosion and felt the ground shake. Honeywell spokesman Peter Dalpe says the sound was the result of normal venting, and was not an explosion. Dalpe says workers are operating in safe conditions. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the plant the go-ahead to start production Friday. The NRC has been on site monitoring the restart process. The plant hasn't produced any UF-6 since late June, when over 220 union workers were locked out.