unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/11/89)
Forwarded-From : Greenlink
October 7, 1989
CONTAMINATION AT ROCKY FLATS MORE EXTENSIVE THAN EXPECTED
By ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Operators of the Rocky Flats nuclear arms plant in
Colorado inadvertently allowed dangerous amounts of weapons-grade
plutonium to accumulate in uncontrolled conditions, and the problem may
be more widespread than is now understood, according to an independent
investigators' report released Friday.
The report said investigators determined that the known plutonium
accumulations, equalling "several kilograms," were not being released
into the environment but were great enough to cause an accidental
nuclear reaction under certain circumstances.
An accidental reaction could produce a lethal dose of radiation to
workers at close range and could, in some circumstances, release
radioactive material into the environment.
Prior to the investigation conducted from July through September, the
plant managers "had insisted that this type of plutonium accumulation
was not happening at the plant," even though a former employee had
warned of the possibility, the report said.
The investigators also said plant workers who provided anonymous tips
on where to look for unsafe conditions were afraid to raise their
concerns to their own supervisors.
A copy of the report's summary and its recommendations for corrective
actions, plus an internal memorandum on the subject from Energy
Secretary James D. Watkins, were provided to The Associated Press by
the office of Rep. David Skaggs, D-Colo.
Rocky Flats reprocesses plutonium in retired nuclear weapons in order
to make triggers for new warheads. It is owned by the Energy Department
and run under a government contract by Rockwell International Corp.,
which earlier this month said it would quit the plant soon. The new
contractor will be EG&G Inc.
Watkins, in the memo dated Wednesday, ordered John Meinhardt, acting
assistant secretary for defense programs, to prepare an "action plan"
in response to the reports' findings and its explanations for the root
causes of the problems.
The investigation was conducted at Watkins' instruction by SCIENTECH
Inc., an engineering and management company based in Idaho Falls,
Idaho, that specializes in nuclear safety issues.
Watkins ordered the investigation in response to reports that man-made
radioactive elements found at Rocky Flats might have been formed by an
inadvertent nuclear reaction. There is no nuclear reactor at the plant,
so speculation had centered on the possibility of a chain reaction
caused by accumulations of plutonium.
The investigators said they found no evidence that an accidental
nuclear reaction had ever taken place at Rocky Flats, although it cited
numerous lapses in safety procedures that make the plant vulnerable to
possible accidents.
The report said that a nuclear bomb-type of explosion at Rocky Flats
was impossible because of "controls and physical constraints," but
added that an accidental nuclear reaction was "a real possibility."
The investigators said they had discovered several kilograms of
plutonium-239 in a pipe that serves as an exhaust ventilation duct in a
plutonium processing building. It was found "outside the normal
envelope used to control" plutonium inventories, and the quantity was
"more than enough" for an accidental reaction.
Even so, the investigators said the material posed "no immediate
danger to public or worker safety."
The report added, however, that the investigators found indications
that there may be undiscovered, significant accumulations of plutonium
in several other exhaust ducts at Rocky Flats. No other details on this
were provided.
The report said a former Rockwell employee who designed the
ventilation system had warned Rockwell previously that the ducts were
"a probable location for dangerous quantities of plutonium to collect."
Despite this warning, Rockwell did not use means at its disposal to
identify and correct plutonium accumulations in ventilation systems,
the report said.
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