Two vehicles leaving the Hanford Site, a nuclear cleanup site in Benton County, Washington, allegedly spread low-level contamination when leaving the site Dec. 15, a report by the NW News Network says. The vehicles returned to the site Dec. 18 and were found to be contaminated with radioactive waste.
Several other areas near the demolition site known as the Plutonium Finishing Plant were contaminated as well, including near the trailers, on a jersey barrier, on a vehicle hood, on the ground and on a trash can. The report says no contamination was detected inside the vehicles yet. The employees who drove the cars were asked to remain in offices Dec. 18 until further surveys were conducted.
Six demolition workers had found elevated contamination readings on their lapel monitors the week of Dec. 10, the report says. The workers are undergoing bioassays to see if contamination has permeated into their bodies. Results from the bioessays are expected to return in a month.
Demolition of the plant is on hold and the contractor working on the project say in the report they will only restart work when the possible contamination issues have been fixed.
The Plutonium Finishing Plant was used to make hockey puck-sized plutonium buttons for bombs since 1949, the report says. Work to demolition the plant has been ongoing since 2016, and is expected to be complete in January.