OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A photo of a barrel with a "radioactive material" label on it reportedly found in a river flooding debris pile in Asheville, North Carolina caused some concern on social media this week.
In the photo, the black barrel was labeled with "B&W Y-12, LLC" and "Oak Ridge, TN," prompting some to wonder if it had originated from Y-12 National Security Complex. The Oak Ridge facility processes uranium.
The photo was shared on Reddit in the r/Radiation subreddit, claiming it was found in the French Broad River in Asheville after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding in the area.
THE QUESTION
Did this barrel contain radioactive materials as the label said?
THE SOURCES
- Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tennessee
- Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
THE ANSWER
No, this barrel did not contain any radioactive material. A company that was storing old barrels with the same markings said they were "empty and clean" before flooding in Erwin, Tennessee swept some of them away.
Our sources confirmed the photo was likely real, and it was a barrel that would have been used for storage and disposal of hazardous fissile materials from Y-12 in the past.
However, a few people replying to the Reddit post correctly pointed out Y-12 is no longer run by Babcock & Wilcox, which is the "B&W" listed on the barrel. B&W's contract to manage Y-12 ended nearly a decade ago. Consolidated Nuclear Security currently operates and manages the facility.
Some of the barrels ended up at a company in Erwin called Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., which is owned by BWX Technologies -- a company that was formerly part of B&W before it spun off its power generation business in 2015.
Nuclear Fuel Services said its warehouse in Erwin was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Helene, which caused some of their equipment to get lost in the floodwaters, including some of the barrels.
"An NFS offsite warehouse was heavily damaged, resulting in some NFS property being carried away by floodwater. These items include empty and clean containers, training equipment and new personal protective equipment. Although some of the containers are marked 'fissile radioactive material,' as required by Department of Transportation regulations, they are empty and clean," the company said.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency also confirmed that the barrel was empty.
Only one question remains: If the picture of this barrel was taken in Asheville on the French Broad River, how did the barrel physically get there?
The flooding that devastated Erwin came primarily from the Nolichucky River, which is located far from Asheville and the French Broad River along the I-26 corridor in Unicoi County, Tennessee. The Nolichucky flows north and then west through Tennessee to Douglas Lake.
The French Broad River flows north through North Carolina into Tennessee into Douglas Lake, where the two rivers meet. However, since the French Broad River flows out of North Carolina, it would be impossible for the barrel to float against the raging river into Asheville.
That means the picture likely originated from Unicoi County instead of Asheville. Taz Painter, a spokesperson for Y-12, said they were made aware of the labeled barrels.
"We are aware that unused, empty drums were found in flood debris in Unicoi County," he said.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »