The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has taken effective corrective actions following a radiological material exposure incident at one of its facilities in 2012, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Inspector General found in an Aug. 2 report.
The report highlighted an August 2012 radiological incident at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center in which 27 workers, along with their offices and/or personal items, were exposed to the nuclear isomer technetium-99, and some of the material was tracked outside the facility.
A LANL after-action report said this occurred during the irradiation of samples of material containing technetium-99; a sample canister that was not labeled as containing radioactive material was mistakenly opened to be used in aligning an experimental apparatus, the report said. This canister was later found to have been contaminated.
After assessing the affected property, LANL officials determined the contamination level was not a health risk, the report said. The National Nuclear Security Administration and LANL then developed and implemented corrective actions to address problems with control and containment of radioactive materials, changes the lab determined were “likely to be effective for the long term,” the report said.
LANL’s corrective actions included limiting access to the storage cabinets that hold radioactive materials, updating and operating an online sample inventory system, and using designated glove boxes for radioactive material containment. One remaining open NNSA recommendation for its Office of Emergency Operations involves “develop[ing] command, control, and coordination relationships between off- and on-site assets and leadership” through a DOE regulation on comprehensive emergency management. A draft of this DOE order entered an internal review and comment process in April, the report said.
