EVIDENCE OF HEAT DISCOVERED AS POSSIBLE CAUSE OF WIPP RELEASE

A team probing further into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant last weekend discovered melted plastic and rubber on top of waste drums, supporting theories that a reaction triggered by heat led to the Feb. 14 radiation release at the repository. Officials said last week that they were examining the possibility that a reaction between nitrate salts and organic material may have led to the release. A team entering the mine Saturday took photos of the damaged waste drums from above using an extension pole. “The photographs showed evidence of melted plastic and rubber on 55 gallon drums and standard waste boxes, indicating the production of heat likely occurred in the room,” the Department of Energy said in a release yesterday. DOE’s Accident Investigation Board, several national labs, URS and Tetra Tech are reviewing the photos, which can be seen here.