ENS 44281
ENS Event | |
|---|---|
06:00 Jun 9, 2008 | |
| Title | Unplanned Contamination |
| Event Description | On June 9, 2008, the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) was notified that a vial containing standard reference material was discovered broken in one of the research laboratories. The reference material contained numerous isotopes of plutonium. It has not been determined how or when the breakage occurred.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Health Physics personnel responded to the area and determined that low levels of contamination were spread outside of the laboratory into the adjoining hallway. At this time, the hallway has be decontaminated. The lab is isolated and will be undergoing decontamination. The two researchers who discovered the broken vial were contaminated on their hands and were properly decontaminated. They will be undergoing bioassay and urinalysis to determine if an uptake occurred. Air samples were taken in the lab and are in the process of being counted to determine if an airborne problem existed. The NIST RSO contacted NRC Region IV (Cain and Campbell).
Received from the National Institute of Standards and Technology via e-mail. Since the initial incident report, NIST has done the following to mitigate the incident. 1. NIST Boulder requested assistance from NIST Gaithersburg. Management sent expert Health Physics and Occupational Health and Safety personnel, as well as radiation detection equipment to Boulder. 2. Hallways and areas potentially affected by the spill were again thoroughly surveyed to assure that no contamination existed outside the affected, sealed laboratory. This survey found two minor contamination spots in a stairwell, which easily cleaned up with soap and water. One office, which had contamination known from the earliest survey (Tuesday morning 6/10/08) was sealed pending future decontamination. 3. Air monitoring equipment was installed in the adjacent hallway as a precaution in the unlikely event of air leakage from the contaminated laboratory. To date, airborne contamination has not been detected by this equipment nor has any airborne contamination been detected by other subsequently installed air monitoring equipment outside of the contaminated laboratory. 4. Bioassay tests were initiated on personnel either known to have trace external contamination or determined to be potentially contaminated. Small sample bioassay tests have shown no internal contamination of individuals; however NIST is awaiting the results of more sophisticated bioassay tests. 5. Using personal protective equipment, NIST Health Physicists made entries to the contaminated laboratory on 6/14/08 and 6/15/08 to investigate the cause and extent of the spill. They found contamination in the laboratory sink and subsequently learned that a researcher who worked directly with the plutonium sample had used that sink to wash his hands during the incident. This prompted NIST to alert city wastewater officials of a potential discharge of plutonium from the sink to the sanitary sewer system. 6. For help in determining what might have been released to the sanitary sewer NIST requested help from the National Nuclear Security Administration's Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) on 6/16/08. RAP and its associated Department of Energy TRIAGE team have the ability to determine radioactive material activity quantities by taking radiation measurements with sophisticated equipment and computer programs. 7. Further bioassays samples were collected from individuals and sent out for analysis. NIST is awaiting the results of these tests. Some individuals have also received additional medical tests on the advice of physicians specializing in exposure to plutonium. 8. Planning with RAP personnel for entry to the laboratory ensued and the RAP team arrived 6/20/08. Entry occurred the same day and the RAP team collected the necessary data. The subsequent report of the RAP/TRIAGE analysis as well as NIST radiation measurements and calculations on dose rate data indicates that at least 76% - 87% of the spilled material can be accounted for. As many smaller areas of contamination have not been analyzed, NIST expects that more of the material will be accounted for during future entries and testing. 9. Prior to entering the contaminated laboratory, air sampling had not shown airborne contamination. In the course of repeated entries to the contaminated lab room, air sampling equipment placed by the RAP team detected airborne contamination, likely as a result of the team's activities. The team ceased operations and subsequent air sampling showed that radiation readings had returned to normal background levels in the spill room laboratory. Since responding to the incident, NIST Health Physicists have monitored and found no evidence of any releases of contaminated air to the atmosphere. Notified the R4DO (Proulx) and FSME (Camper). |
| Where | |
|---|---|
| National Inst Of Standards & Tech Boulder, Colorado (NRC Region 4) | |
| License number: | 0500316605 |
| Organization: | National Inst Of Standards & Tech |
| Reporting | |
| 10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) | |
| Time - Person (Reporting Time:+33.18 h1.383 days <br />0.197 weeks <br />0.0454 months <br />) | |
| Opened: | Larry Grimm 15:11 Jun 10, 2008 |
| NRC Officer: | Howie Crouch |
| Last Updated: | Jun 26, 2008 |
| 44281 - NRC Website | |
National Inst Of Standards & Tech with 10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) | |
WEEKMONTHYEARENS 442812008-06-09T06:00:0009 June 2008 06:00:00
[Table view]10 CFR 30.50(b)(1) Unplanned Contamination 2008-06-09T06:00:00 | |