Most Toxic Substance Known to Man

[BobCherry <BobCherry@aol.com>]

The "most toxic substance known to man" strikes again.

Plutonium Leaks on N.M. Lab Workers

.c The Associated Press

 LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) - Small amounts of plutonium were found on the clothing
of four Los Alamos National Laboratory workers after the radioactive element
leaked from a container they were cleaning.

Small amounts also were found on one worker's scalp and one nostril, lab
spokesman Jim Danneskiold said Tuesday. The man will be monitored for several
days to determine if any radioactive particles entered his body, Danneskiold
said.

Lab officials said they believed the workers' exposure was minimal.

The release was ``somewhere between pollen and a particle of cigarette
smoke,'' Danneskiold said.

The spill happened last Thursday when the workers, wearing protective clothing
and respirators, cleaned plutonium from glove boxes, sealed containers with
attached lead-lined gloves.

Workers clean out the glove boxes by emptying their contents into an attached
bag and sealing the bag.

A technician detected radiation on the clothing of the worker holding the bag,
then checked himself and the other two workers and found their clothing was
contaminated, Danneskiold said.

Technicians later wiped down the room until radiation was no longer
detectable.

Plutonium, a key element in nuclear weapons, is said to be the most toxic
substance known to man. It can cause cancer and other health problems.

AP-NY-03-11-98 1314EST