Re: NIH

[a.j.teachout@mail.utexas.edu (A.J. Teachout)]

>In response to the previous public question: Yes, this event clearly happened.
>It is not an alleged event.
>A pregnant woman researcher was contaminated via food.
>Other were contaminated via water bottle dispensing stations.
>Contamination was found at various locations.
>
>Perhaps an NIH reader can give more info than has appeared in the W.Post.
>
>SLABACK@MICF.NIST.GOV
>   ...a little risk, like a bit of spice, adds flavor to life


I'm not an NIH reader, but I did read about this matter in the July 24, 1995 issue of Chemical and Engineering News.  The article was titled "Apparent sabotage exposes 26 NIH employees to radioactivity."  In that article, an NIH spokesman said  "We have no proof that this [deliberate spiking of a watercooler] has been done on purpose, but circumstances indicate it was not accidental."  The dastardly deed was discovered when an NIH researcher "conducting a routine safety check of the lab with a GM counter discovered that his wife, also an NIH researcher, was radioactive."  The article provides more details than I have time to go into here.  However, you can obtain a copy of it for yourselves should you feel impelled to do so.

I would have thought this old news by now, since I read about it in July.  Television viewing is not on my top ten list of favourite things to do, hence I was unaware that CNN was broadcasting it as a current news item (I almost said "hot" news item - a poor, politically incorrect pun).  But then again, I especially make it a point to avoid watching practically anything broadcast by those Luddites at TBS.

A.J. Teachout
Reactor Health Physicist
The University of Texas at Austin
A.J.Teachout@mail.utexas.edu


**Standard disclaimers**