More workers at the Hanford Site in Washington state came forward Friday saying they had experienced symptoms they suspected were tied to chemical vapors at the site’s radioactive waste tank farms Thursday. They bring the total number of workers receiving medical evaluations for possible chemical vapor exposure linked to work Thursday to 20. All were released to return to work, except one worker for whom results were pending Friday afternoon, according to Hanford tank farm contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS). Thirteen of the workers reported having various symptoms, most of which were not made public, and seven requested medical evaluations as a precaution. The initial 12 employees received medical evaluations Thursday afternoon at Hanford’s on-site medical provider. Two more workers reported symptoms after leaving work Thursday and were evaluated at the hospital in Richland, as is Hanford policy when the on-site medical provider is closed. The remaining six workers reported Friday morning they had experienced symptoms and went to the on-site medical provider that day. Two of the workers evaluated Thursday reported having headaches. Other typical symptoms include sore throats, coughing, bloody noses, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Workers are concerned that exposure to chemical vapors from tank waste could cause serious illnesses over the long term.
All of the workers reporting odors were in or near the A, AX, and AP Tank Farms, which are in the vicinity of the transfer line that moves waste removed from Tank AY-102, the Hanford double-shell tank with an interior leak, to a sturdier double-shell tank in the AP Tank Farm. None of the workers were in vapor control zones when they smelled suspicious odors. Workers are required to use self-contained breathing apparatus in the control zones, which cover areas where an increased risk of chemical vapors are predicted.
WRPS said Friday it does not plan any more waste transfers between Tank AY-102 and the AP Tank Farm for about three months. It is moving ahead with a plan to switch out two sluicing systems of a type long used at Hanford with more recently developed enhanced-reach sluicing systems. Installing and preparing to operate four of the enhanced systems in the tank is expected to take until late July or August. With about 95 percent of the waste in Tank AY-102 removed since early March, work has slowed significantly as the level of waste dropped to about 4 inches deep in the center of the tank, but 20 to 30 inches at the sides, which are more difficult to reach with traditional sluicing systems.
