Two workers at Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state were checked for radioactive contamination after they were sprayed with water when a hose connection failed in the Effluent Treatment Facility Wednesday evening.
No radioactive contamination was found on the workers, but they were in a posted radioactive contamination area of the facility. Low levels of contamination were found when crews subsequently entered the area to conduct radiological surveys.
The contamination was not believed to be associated with the Wednesday incident and was removed, according to Hanford contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS).
At about 7 p.m. Wednesday workers were cleaning and emptying a sump tank at the Effluent Treatment Facility so it could be inspected, when two of the workers and the floor were sprayed with water. The water contained chemicals and cleaning solution, and one worker reported a burning sensation on the back of her neck. She took an emergency shower as a precaution.
The Hanford Fire Department dispatched an ambulance but both workers declined medical evaluations either at a Hanford clinic or the Richland hospital. They returned to work on Thursday, according to WRPS.
The Effluent Treatment Facility in central Hanford is used to treat large volumes of waste water with low levels of radioactive and hazardous chemical contaminants from across the Hanford Site. It has the capacity to remove or destroy contaminants in up to 28 million gallons of water a year using filters, reverse osmosis, pH adjustment, and ultraviolet lights. The cleaned water is released into the ground and the remaining sludge is solidified, dried, and sent for disposal at Hanford’s Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.
