Alert over after Freon leak at Pa. nuke plant

BERWICK, Pa.

An alert has ended at nuclear power plant in northeastern Pennsylvania after workers stopped a non-radioactive refrigerant leak in one of the reactor buildings.

PPL Corp. said Wednesday that the Freon leak was fixed late Tuesday night in the Unit 1 reactor building of the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Berwick.

Freon is used to cool equipment within the reactor building.

The Allentown, Pa.-based utility said some workers were evacuated when the leak was discovered Tuesday morning but no one was hurt.

Freon is an ozone-depleting gas and can cause dizziness and an irregular heartbeat when inhaled, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.