Prairie Island nuclear plant workers exposed to radiation

The accidental release of radioactive gas at the Prairie Island nuclear plant last week caused about 100 workers to be exposed to low levels of radiation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

The May 5 incident occurred when the plant was already shut down for maintenance and refueling and there was no exposure to the outdoors, said Jan Strasma, commission spokesman.

The workers were wearing protective gear when they were exposed to low levels of radioactive iodine, said Arline Datu, spokeswoman for Nuclear Management Co. Most received 10 to 20 millirems of radiation, about the same as a dental X-ray. They were decontaminated and allowed to go home, she said.

Nuclear Management Co., which operates Xcel Energy's nuclear plants, said the workers' exposure occurred when residual radioactive gas in some equipment was inadvertently released without being routed through a filtering system.

Strasma said the plant's interior containment building was cleaned and federal officials will do a follow up inspection and report.

One of Prairie Island's nuclear units is being refueled, a procedure that occurs about once every 18 months. Datu also said the lid of the reactor, called a vessel head, is being replaced. Utilities do not disclose how long repairs may take for competitive reasons.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com