A container of transuranic waste from the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico was put underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in March without a required flammable gas analysis, a federal safety group said.
The mistake, discovered by the Central Characterization Program for DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) prime, led to a mandatory worker evacuation, suspension of waste handling, and implementation of a response plan within 10 days, according to a monthly report on WIPP operations from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB).
The analysis, required by both DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “determines the concentration of flammable gas/volatile organic compounds in the headspace of a waste container intended for shipment to WIPP,” according to the one-page DNFSB document. The DOE and contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership are doing a root cause analysis.
Upon further review, it was determined the contents of the emplaced waste container did not pose a fire risk, according to the DNFSB report, dated April 1. Nuclear Waste Partnership has since exited the limited operating condition.
More recently, on Saturday April 9, a problem was discovered with a container shipped to WIPP from Idaho National Laboratory. A freestanding liquid with low levels of radioactive contamination was discovered at the bottom of a container inside the CH-Bay, which was evacuated.
DOE said via Twitter that no workers were exposed to radiation and there was no threat to the public as a result. Shipments from Idaho remained suspended while DOE carried out a more detailed review, the agency said.
