© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.

Investigators Search For Source Of Radioactive Particles On INL Grounds

inl.gov

Investigators at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho say they should have initial results by midweek on how radioactive particles got outside.

Cobalt, Cesium, and Europium are the radioactive materials investigators have found on the INL grounds. Workers with radiation detectors continue to comb the facility, the employees, and any vehicles leaving the site.

 “No contaminated particles have been found on people, nor in buildings, office areas, or on the site busses.”  Says Tim Jackson, a spokesman for the Department of Energy which is conducting the investigation.

Jackson says the contaminated particles have been found on the ground outside the advanced test reactor complex and on some construction debris, specifically insulation. He says they don’t know yet what construction project it came from.  He adds there is no threat to the public or the environment.

“The primary concern from these types of isotopes would be if it came into prolonged skin contact. And at this time contamination has not been detected on any of our workers at the site.” 

Jackson wouldn’t discuss the investigation in detail but he says they should have more information in a few days. 

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.