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Six months later,radiation accident in East Idaho acknowledged

Radiation accident in East Idaho acknowledged six months after it occurred BY LUKE RAMSETH (Idaho Falls) Post RegisterApril 16, 2015 An October radiation accident at a waste processing facility on the U.S. Department of Energy’s desert site west of Idaho Falls drew concern this week, largely because it took nearly six months for either the DOE or contractor to publicly disclose the incident.

The accident happened Oct. 23 at the New Waste Calcining Facility, operated by contractor CH2M-WG Idaho, or CWI. It resulted in a small internal radioactive contamination of one worker and a weeks-long work stoppage for a portion of the facility, while an investigation and decontamination effort took place.

It was not until last week that DOE disclosed what happened. DOE officials made a 14-slide PowerPoint presentation to the Idaho National Laboratory Site Environmental Management Citizens Advisory Board’s meeting in Pocatello.

“It was the first time I had heard of it,” Advisory Board Chairman Herb Bohrer said this week.

Kerry Martin, the INL oversight regional manager for Idaho’s Department of Environmental Quality, said Wednesday she also had not heard of the incident until last week, which she called “amazing.”……..http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/04/16/3754095/radiation-accident-in-eastern.html

April 18, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general