BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

An apparent glovebox breach January 7 at Plutonium Facility-4 at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Technical Area-55 resulted in six employees working in the area being immediately evacuated from the room, a LANL spokesperson told the Los Alamos Reporter Monday afternoon in response to a request for information on the incident.

“Radiological Control Technicians responded promptly and effectively to survey the six workers. Two workers were found to have contamination on their Personal Protective Equipment and skin.  All were further evaluated for potential exposures and placed on precautionary special bioassays,” the spokesperson said. “One worker was determined to have been exposed at a level that warranted outpatient treatment, which was administered at the Lab’s Occupational Medicine Clinic. Preliminary results from evaluation of the affected employee indicate that exposures are within known safety limits.”

The health of all the employees is being monitored in accordance with Laboratory policy, he said, adding that there was no risk to public health and safety or the environment. 

“The Laboratory is cooperating with the Department of Energy/NNSA on an investigation of the event,” the spokesperson said.