|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is under federal investigation as of last week for a reported incident last spring in which radioactive contamination was allegedly not properly controlled.
LLNL Director Kim Budil received a notification from the U.S. Department of Energy dated Jan. 24 that the agency’s office of enforcement had decided to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding a “loss of contamination control” at the Lab in March 2023, and the subsequent discovery of contaminated property on and off site, including at an LLNL employee’s residence on April 8, 2023.
A National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) spokesperson told Embarcadero Media Foundation in a statement that a team composed of 13 workers from multiple laboratories, including Livermore, were exposed to the radioactive material iodine-125 during a trip to an international site in March 2023, with concerns about the exposure being raised upon their return to the United States.
“All team members were tested for exposure,” the statement said. “Results for some of them showed a detectable uptake of I-125, but at levels well below regulatory and administrative limits, and well below levels of any clinical concern.”
As a cautionary step, officials said that experts from the NNSA Nuclear Emergency Support Team visited the homes of some of the impacted workers to conduct testing and issue recommendations related to the individuals involved and laboratory management.
“NNSA is committed to the health and safety of our employees as well as the general public. Immediate and proactive testing, informed by strong communications across the interagency, supported timely risk mitigation,” the statement said. “We continue to review and improve safety processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
While the DOE investigation is primarily aimed at learning more about the cause and impact of the incident itself, it could include inquiries into the Lab’s compliance with federal requirements if authorities find reason to do so as the investigation unfolds.
“Although investigating the loss of contamination control and offsite discovery of contaminated property will be the general purpose of this investigation, additional issues relating to the scope, nature, and extent of compliance with DOE’s nuclear safety requirements … may be pursued as issues arise during the course of the investigation,” wrote Anthony Pierpoint, director of the DOE’s offices of enforcement and enterprise assessments.
Pierpoint noted that the investigation would include an on-site visit to the Lab and interviews with contractors.
DOE officials did not respond to a request for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed statements to LLNL. DanvilleSanRamon.com regrets the error.