HANFORD TANK FARMS WORKERS BRIEFLY SENT TO HOSPITAL

Six Hanford workers were taken to the hospital in Richland yesterday morning as a precaution after an unknown liquid spilled on some of them. Workers were at the 242-A Evaporator building dismantling piping that had been previously drained and taken out of service, said Rob Roxburgh, spokesman for Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. They were removing piping valves when some liquid spilled out, getting on the clothing or skin of some of the workers, he said. A couple of the workers felt discomfort on their skin, and all the workers who had come in contact with the liquid or were nearby were taken to the hospital, Roxburgh said. They were released several hours later.

Tests are being conducted to determine what was in the liquid, but it was not radioactive, Roxburgh said. “We’re always going to be conservative in our response to make sure our workers receive proper medical attention,” he said. The piping was left from some ongoing maintenance at the evaporator facility, which periodically is operated to reduce the volume of liquid held in Hanford’s 28 double-shell tanks.