nuclear-news

Idaho National Laboratory did not properly assess plutonium risks

The effects of radiation worsen the longer radioactive material remains in the body.
Plutonium is considered more dangerous when inhaled than ingested because particles lodge in the lungs instead of being eliminated by the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal panel faults Idaho lab for radiation exposure mishap, By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho   Jan 18, 2012  (Reuters) – The radiation exposure of 16 workers at a nuclear research lab in Idaho stemmed from a failure to properly assess the risks posed by the handling of decades-old plutonium fuel cells, federal investigators concluded on Wednesday. In its report on the November 8
mishap at the Idaho National Laboratory, the U.S. Energy Department’s
Office of Health, Safety and Security also found the lab erred in not
activating its emergency plan sooner after the accident, a delay that
may have compromised medical treatment of the workers.

The panel recommended the lab conduct a fresh assessment of “the
likelihood, severity and risk of accidents,” as well as the
effectiveness of hazard controls at the deactivated reactor where the
exposure occurred.

The Idaho National Laboratory, occupying 890 square miles in eastern
Idaho, is the Energy Department’s leading nuclear research center,
employing some 6,000 government workers and contractors.

The decommissioned reactor involved in the accident is located within
a complex of facilities used for remotely handling, processing and
examining spent nuclear fuel, radioactive waste and other irradiated
materials.

Sixteen workers were exposed to low-level plutonium radiation when a
container holding a plutonium fuel plate was opened in the process of
preparing the material for shipment to another facility. Subsequent
inspections found that a layer of stainless steel cladding that
envelopes the spent nuclear fuel inside the container was defective.

Thirteen of the workers tested positive for actual radioactive
contamination, either on their clothing or from nasal swabs, and two
of those were found to have inhaled radioactive particles, lab
spokesman Ethan Huffman told Reuters…… The effects of radiation
worsen the longer radioactive material remains in the body.

Plutonium is considered more dangerous when inhaled than ingested
because particles lodge in the lungs instead of being eliminated by
the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

January 20, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - plutonium, USA