The spread of radioactive contamination outside the Hanford Site’s Plutonium Finishing Plant has stopped demolition, but work is expected to resume later this week.
At about 4:45 p.m. Friday a radiation monitor issued an alarm near the area of the plant now undergoing demolition. About 10 minutes later the spread of radiation near the demolition site was confirmed. Workers at the plant took cover as a precaution.
While demolition on the plant’s Plutonium Reclamation Facility had finished for the day late Friday afternoon, a crew was spraying fixative on some debris outside the site.
The contamination spread outside a radiation contamination zone but remained close to the demolition area. It did not extend beyond the plant’s boundaries of the plant. “Employees reacted safely and appropriately when contamination higher than expected was discovered during demolition,” Hanford cleanup contractor CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation said in a statement. Low levels of contamination was found on workers’ protective clothing, but there was no contamination on their personal clothing or skin. Nasal smears did not show any uptake.
The cause of the contamination remains under investigation, and any lessons learned from the incident will be used to reduce the risk of recurrence, according to CH2M. The contractor said employees have extensive training and extensive air monitoring is conducted to protect workers and the environment during demolition of the plant.
Demolition of the heavily contaminated Plutonium Finishing Plant, once used to shape plutonium for insertion into nuclear weapons, is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 30.
