CAUSE OF WIPP AIRBORNE RADIATION DETECTED FRIDAY STILL UNKNOWN

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant remains closed to nonessential personnel as officials investigate what set off an airborne radiation monitor at the facility Friday night. A continuous air monitor detected airborne radiation underground at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, automatically triggering the filtration mode in WIPP’s ventilation system in an effort to prevent contamination at the surface. “Multiple perimeter monitors at the WIPP boundary have confirmed there is no danger to human health or the environment. No surface contamination has been found on any equipment, personnel or facilities,” states a Department of Energy news release. 

 

This event comes a little more than a week after the Feb. 5 fire at WIPP in which a truck used to haul salt caught fire underground. At the time, officials said the fire likely occurred in a part of the repository without radioactive waste. DOE said Sunday that the source of the radiation is still being investigated. 

 

New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall (D) and Martin Heinrich (D) offered a statement following Friday’s event: “We are in close contact with officials at the Department of Energy and WIPP, and we will continue to monitor the situation as more information becomes available. The safety of WIPP personnel and the surrounding community is of the utmost importance,” they said.