Plutonium Spill Prompts Training Review

(AP)  Use of radioactive materials has been suspended and worker training is being reassessed following a plutonium spill at the Boulder, Colo., laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the agency's deputy director told a congressional subcommittee Tuesday.

"Based on the information available at this time, this incident was preventable," James M. Turner told the House Science and Technology's subcommittee on technology and innovation.

Turner said medical experts report that no significant health effects are likely for the people involved.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered the Boulder laboratory to stop using radioactive materials until it can show its procedures are safe, and that order remains in effect.

Subcommittee chairman David Wu, D-Ore., expressed his unhappiness at the June 9 incident, commenting that "along with scientific and technical excellence must be an equal dedication to safe laboratory practices."

The spill occurred when a test tube containing plutonium powder cracked and some of the powder spilled, according to testimony prepared for the hearing.

"I am very disappointed that we are all here today - this incident never should have occurred in the first place," said Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who represents Boulder.

Turner said multiple investigations of the incident have been completed or are under way.

Trace contamination was found on some workers, he said, and was later found in the men's restroom and in other parts of the building.

On June 12, it was discovered that a worker had walked to other parts of the building before being decontaminated, and traces of radioactive material were found in an office on a desk, chair and lab notebook, Turner said in prepared testimony.

And, on June 14, a study of the lab where the accident occurred revealed contamination in the sink. The worker most involved in the incident was interviewed again and disclosed that the worker had used a sink for hand washing.

Turner said the City of Boulder was then informed that contamination may have been released into the wastewater system.

The probable cause of the incident was handler error, Turner said, adding that the agency needs to improve training and is focusing on its overall approach to the environment, health, safety and emergency response.

[eggy1620]

Octavianfdlr, I agree with the theory that the anti-nuc lobby is funded by Big Oil.

[octavianfdlr]

Plutonium... Plutonium... Isn''t that the stuff that President Carter decided was too dangerous to have sitting around, so he wrote an executive order preventing its use as fuel in nuclear reactors, and thereby ensured that it would continue to sit around?

Forget about revoking executive orders about drilling for oil! Let''s use up the plutonium that is still sitting around because of President Carter''s decision! Help ween us off oil and destroy long-lived (t1/2 = 24,000 years) radioactivity at the same time.

Nah...it would never work. Exxon-Mobil''s pack of trained demonstrators would ensure against any new nuclear reactors.

[eggy1620]

The reason why this spill went undiscovered long enough to spread contamination is because plutonium decays via alpha particle emission. Alpha particles are very difficult to detect because they travel only a few millimeters in air and can be shielded with a piece of paper. A Geiger meter typically used to check a lab bench would not detect the plutonium, since its alpha particles would not make it into the detector probe. Wipe tests for contamination would be necessary, but those are typically not performed as often as meter checks.

[rf35]

In 5 years, people will forget all about this incident while they are trying to figure out where the Godzilla-sized rat that crawled out of the Boulder sewer system came from.

[standncount]

Based on the information available at this time, this incident was preventable,"

Yes, KEEP THE LID ON THE STUFF!

[tmittelstaed]

They shoulda bought the DustBuster Professional instead of just the regular DustBuster :-)

So, let''s see now. Lab has poor handling of radioactive materials. Needs to retrain it''s workers. Lab is barred from using radioactive materials until workers retrained. Lab needs
to use radioactive materials to train workers.
What a nice little catch-22.

Maybe shredded pictures of Pamela Anderson would be hot enough to use as radioactive substitute. No, what am I thinking - the half-life on her expired years ago.

[smurfcrusher]

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered the Boulder laboratory to stop using radioactive materials until it can show its procedures are safe, and that order remains in effect."

Wow, I feel so reassured. um, how about implementing this order EVERYWHERE Plutonium is being handled?

*** BEFORE *** incidents happen?

This is like something out of The Simpsons.

[impeach__w]

No need to worry the contaminated workers will be re trained and the building decontaminated. the Sewer is the cities problem. Nothing dangerous here, it was only PLUTONIUM!

BTW there was also a fire or other event at oak ridge TN in the most heavily radioactive contaminated building on the east coast.