Subcommittee Investigates Plutonium Spill at NIST
(Washington, DC) Today, the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing on safety practices at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in light of the June 9, 2008 plutonium spill.
“This Subcommittee has been the strongest champion of NIST in Congress, and its Members have spent a lot of time educating our colleagues about the outstanding scientific and technical work of NIST employees,” said Subcommittee Chairman David Wu (D-OR). “However, along with scientific and technical excellence must be an equal dedication to safe laboratory practices. This is especially true at NIST, where staff routinely work with hazardous materials and high powered equipment, such as radioactive material and lasers.”
On June 9, 2008, researchers working at the NIST facility in Boulder, CO discovered that a vial containing 0.25 grams of plutonium was cracked, releasing some of the powdered plutonium. Later, it was discovered that contamination had spread to other areas of the building, and a small amount of the material had been washed away in the lab sink. Researchers were using the plutonium while working on extremely sensitive radiation detectors that would monitor compliance with nonproliferation agreements and have homeland security applications.
“I am very disappointed that we are all here today—this incident never should have occurred in the first place,” said Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Mark Udall (D-CO), who represents Boulder. “And I am far from satisfied with NIST’s response, both initially and as the situation has continued to develop. The apparent lack of an acceptable emergency response plan and clearly inadequate protocols for handling toxic materials are just the first of many serious problems that NIST must resolve.”
This was the second accident in the past six months. The first accident involved a laser in Gaithersburg. Initial investigations revealed a lack of safety training and inadequate laboratory procedures led to both accidents.
“I am concerned that the laser event did not trigger an immediate review of all of NIST’s safety training, which might have prevented the accident in June,” said Wu. “The purpose of today’s hearing is not to place blame; it is to understand how this situation developed and what needs to be done to instill a culture of safety in the NIST labs, while maintaining scientific excellence.”
Many federal agencies and the private sector rely on the measurement science research done at NIST, which enables standards development. NIST is the keeper of one of the most accurate clocks in the world, which is used by the financial services industry and global positioning systems.
For more information on the NIST plutonium incident, including a June 19, 2008 letter sent to the NIST director, please see the Committee’s website.
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