The
U.S. Department of Energy said one drum was the source
of a radiation leak inside the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico.
The report by the Technical Assessment Team said the
contents of Drum 68660 in Panel 7, Room 7, were chemically
incompatible. The contents reacted internally, which led to
a thermal runaway that generated heat and produced gases
that built up enough pressure to break the seal and leak
radiation. The release resulted in the movement of material
and caused some damage to surrounding drums.
On Feb. 14, 2014, a radiation monitor went off in the
underground waste storage area. No personnel were in the
repository at the time of the release, but 21 employees were
identified to have low-level amounts on internal
contamination, and trace amounts of radioactive material
were detected off site. A separate accident report in April
2014 said the unfiltered above ground release was
preventable and outlined necessary steps to mitigate the
issue.
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