Depleted Uranium Causes Scare, Leads To Hazardous Material Response At New Jersey Synagogue

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (CBS/AP) — A small amount of depleted uranium caused a scare and led to a hazardous material response at a synagogue in Springfield, Union County. The marble-sized substance was discovered at Temple Sha’arey Shalom on Tuesday.

The Union County prosecutor says it was tested and was emitting a low-level pulse of radiation that was below the threshold that would be considered an imminent health hazard.

The material, which officials say was inadvertently left in a meeting room by an educator who used it as a teaching aid, was safely disposed of by the state Environmental Protection Department.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says depleted uranium is a byproduct of the process through which naturally occurring uranium is enriched in order to produce fuel.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)