Radioactive elements containing uranium were discovered on the site of a stainless steel recycling plant. When the elements entered the site on 3 May 2004, no significant radioactivity had been detected by the detection gate. Around ten days later when unloading scrap, the site foreman noticed components that reminded him of an earlier radioactivity incident. He detected irradiating tubes using his radiation meter and isolated them in 2 metal containers until 15 June, when a private external company revealed the presence of uranium 235 and 238. The CEA collected the radioactive elements on 21 June, clearly activating the detection gate when leaving the site. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais Division for Nuclear Safety and Radioprotection (DSNR) drew up a report establishing the facts. The inspection authorities for classified facilities asked the operator to investigate the failure of the detection gate, send the employees that had handled the radioactive elements for medical examinations, ensure the decontamination of the area in which the elements had been handled (presence of dust and small splinters) by an approved company and check the radioactivity of the trailer that had transported the elements to the site. The Rhône-Alpes DSNR is also conducting an investigation of the St Pierre de Chandieu (69) facility from where the tubes in question originated, and the operator is checking whether such elements may have been sent to other sites.