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The marble-sized fragment of depleted uranium was accidentally left behind by a local educator in a meeting room at Temple Sha'arey Shalom on South Springfield Avenue. Springfield police and fire were called to the temple shortly before 9 a.m. on a report of a potentially hazardous substance. The prosecutor's office and the county HazMat team soon joined them.
The uranium emitted an extremely low level of radiation, well below anything that would be considered an imminent health hazard, the prosecutor's office said. The agencies contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection to safely dispose of the material. The area was declared safe by 10:45 a.m.
Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the process to create enriched uranium, which is used to generate nuclear power. Depleted uranium is used in various commercial applications, the prosecutor's office also said.
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