The Perry nuclear plant in Ohio issued an unusual event declaration Wednesday in response to a gas leak in an auxiliary building.
According to a report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Trichloroethylene leaked in the off-gas building at about 2 p.m. The building's basement and ground level were evacuated. The building does not contain equipment related to reactor safety systems, and the plant continued to operate at full power.
A FirstEnergy spokeswoman told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the building houses 50 gallons of trichloroethylene, which is used as a refrigerant for a radioactive gas removal system. There were no injuries associated with the toxic gas, and the amount that leaked will not be known until an air filtration system removes it from the building.