RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The number of vehicles with specks of radioactive material has increased to 19 as checks continue at Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant continue.
The Tri-City Herald reports as of Wednesday afternoon, 12 additional government or contractor vehicles had been found with radioactive contamination, with 55 vehicles still to be surveyed.
The dozen contaminated government and contractor vehicles are in addition to seven worker vehicles found to have specks of contamination since demolition was completed Dec. 15 on the most contaminated section of the plant. No contamination was found at the homes of those workers.
Post-demolition surveying found specks of radioactive material, some too small to see, had spread outside the demolition zone.
Additional layers of fixative are being applied to areas where contamination has been found to keep it from becoming airborne.
Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons.
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