Depleted Uranium Found At Springfield Synagogue: Prosecutor

SPRINGFIELD, NJ — A small amount of depleted uranium was found at Temple Sha'arey Shalom Tuesday morning, authorities announced.

A local educator inadvertently left the marble-sized piece of uranium in a meeting room at the synagogue, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsey V. Ruotolo announced Tuesday night. The educator used the uranium as a teaching aid, she said.

Springfield police officers and firefighters went to the synagogue shortly before 9 a.m. on a report of a "potentially hazardous substance" there, Ruotolo said in a news release. Members of the Union County Bureau of Hazardous Materials team and the prosecutor's office were notified and also went to the synagogue.

Authorities tested the uranium and discovered it emitted an "extremely low-level pulse of radiation, below that would be deemed an imminent health hazard," Ruotolo said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection was contacted to coordinate proper disposal of the uranium, the acting prosecutor said.

First-responders declared the area safe and left the synagogue by 10:45 a.m.

The incident was the first time the prosecutor's office used its new mass casualty incident notification protocol, which is used when first-responders report critical incidents to county authorities, Ruotolo said.

Federal authorities regulate the possession of depleted uranium, which is a byproduct of enriching naturally occurring uranium in order to produce nuclear power, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It can be used in a variety of commercial applications.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com