The Department of Energy and contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership yesterday notified 13 workers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant of positive preliminary bioassay results. The employees were at the site during the Feb. 14 event that resulted in an underground air monitor indicating a likely leak of radiation from a waste drum. “All employees present the night of the event were checked for any external contamination before being allowed to leave the site,” states a DOE release. “As a precautionary measure, the site’s Radiological Control Program also collected biological samples from each of these employees to check for possible exposure from inhaling airborne radioactive particles. Employees working at the site on February 15 are being offered bioassay analysis to ensure their health and safety.”
DOE Carlsbad Field Office Manager Joe Franco said in a letter to area residents yesterday: “At the time of the event, these employees were performing above ground operations, and federal oversight duties at the WIPP facility.” He added, “It is premature to speculate on the health effects of these preliminary results, or any treatment that may be needed. However, on-site sampling and surveys and environmental monitoring, to date, continue to support National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC) modeling, which indicates that airborne contamination was likely at very low levels.”
