Medical authorities have given the green light for three workers at the Hanford Site in Washington state to return to work after receiving precautionary medical checks for odors reported Tuesday inside the 271-AW instrument building.
That’s according to Washington River Protection Solutions, a Hanford contractor responsible for radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 underground tanks near the center of the Hanford Site. WRPS is owned by AECOM and Atkins, with AREVA as its primary subcontractor.
There were five other workers that reported odors but declined medical evaluation. Workers were not in an area that requires use of a supplied-air respirator, WRPS said in a news release.
They were preparing an empty storage box to receive tank waste samples from containers when they evidently smelled an odor similar to glue, according to the contractor. They evacuated the facility and access to the area was then restricted.
Shortly after the incident, industrial hygiene technicians checked things out using special instruments and failed to identify anything above background levels, WRPS said.
Subsequently more air samples were taken and sent to the lab for study. The process did not reveal any concerns and access to the area has been restored the contractor said.
Chemical gases or vapors in Hanford’s waste storage tanks can occasionally enter workers’ lungs. Chemical vapor emissions may be affected by factors ranging from the weather to work chores that involve disturbing the tank waste.