No Subject

["Bruce B. Dicey, X-2320" <RSDBBD@vegas.las.epa.gov>]

A number of years ago, while working in the radsafe office at a large 
University, I received a telephone call from the University operator in the 
middle of the night informing me that "there has been an explosion 
involving radioactive material" and asking me to meet the fire department 
at the site.  The investigator used tracer quantities of C-14 and H-3.

After stopping by the radiation safety office to pick up surve equipment 
and check the usage log for the laboratory I went to the scene - found what 
looked like half the city fire department standing around in snow banks, 
broken windows, glass & debris everywhere.  The fire department reported 
that the fire had self-extinguished, but they did not want to enter the lab 
because of the posted presence of both radioactive and flammable/explosive 
material.  University occupational safety/industrial health arrived and we 
all entered the lab.

Investigation showed all radioactive material to be secured and undamaged.  
The explosion had occurred when the rotor disintegrated on an ultra-centrifufge 
that had been left running overnight.  The resulting overpressure broke all 
the windows, moved a cinder block wall, wreaked general havoc in the 
laboratory, and started a fire.  The fire caused the sprinkler system to 
activate.  Also, the joints in the pipes under a fume hood ruptured, 
flooding the lower storage compartment.  The secondary flood turned out to 
be fortunate -- the investigator had stored ether, chromic acid, and 
perchloric acid in metal containers underneath the fume hood and the heat from 
the fire had caused the containers to begin to buckle.  The fire chief 
indicated that, if the fire had not extinguished itself, the entire 
building would likely have been damaged.

To further compound the potential tragedy - the laboratory was on the 
ground floor of the University Medical Center's maternity hospital, 
immediately below the newborn nursery!

Needless to say, after that incident there was a "run" on purchases of 
fire/explosion resistant storage cabinets, together with much increased 
emphasis on the proper storage and security of radioactive, flammable, 
explosive, and other hazardous materials and a general feeling that a very 
large bullet had been dodged!  The folks who sold the investigator the 
ultra-centrifuge were not happy campers.

Turned out to be a POTENTIAL radioactive contamination incident - one which 
illustrates that radiation safety is a part of the overall institutional 
workplace safety management program.

I'd rather not identify the University involved - the "system" worked 
despite the individual researcher's carelessness.

>>>>> Usual disclaimer <<<<<

Bruce B. Dicey
Sr. Health Physicist
US-EPA (Las Vegas)
(currently still at work - position funded by DOE)
(concur with Stu Altman's note re. furlogh - direct "bashing" at the 
program & the political regime rather than at the federal workers being 
used as pawns)