Honeywell probes chemical leak at downstate plant

METROPOLIS — Honeywell says there’s no evidence that a weekend leak of a compound used in uranium enrichment at its southern Illinois plant escaped that building.

Company spokesman Peter Dalpe says no injuries resulted from the leak of uranium hexafluoride Sunday night at Honeywell’s site in Metropolis. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been notified. The plan helps make nuclear fuel.

It was not immediately clear Monday how much of the uranium hexafluoride was released.

The leak comes at a time the company and union-backed workers at the Massac County plant are embroiled in a contract dispute. Employees have been locked out of the site since August.

The plant still is operating.