GOLDEN, Colo.
(AP) - Ten workers cleaning a former nuclear weapons factory tested
positive for radiation exposure, and part of the project was halted
as investigators searched for the source.
Fifteen new
areas of plutonium were found at the Rocky Flats site, but they
weren't believed responsible for the exposure.
``Most areas
are where people are not normally working,'' said Mark Spears,
director of safety for cleanup contractor Kaiser-Hill.
The exposed
workers were cleaning one of the factory's most contaminated buildings
as part of an 11-year, $7 billion project aimed at turning the
site into a wildlife preserve.
Exact levels
of contamination are not expected to be available until later
this month, but investigators said they believe radiation exposure
was less than 1,000 millirems, well below the federal standard
of 5,000 for plant workers. In Colorado, people are exposed to
400 millirems of background radiation each year.
Employees
were tested for exposure after a routine building inspection in
October found a radiation detector was operating improperly. The
building was shut down Dec. 1, and the U.S.
Energy Department
and Kaiser-Hill were investigating.
Plant and union officials announced Monday that the 10 workers
had tested positive.
Contamination
tests were available for any worker who wanted one.
Officials said Tuesday they were not sure when the building cleanup
would resume.
In a memo
to Kaiser-Hill last month, the Energy Department's site manager
said improvements were needed to identify hazards and establish
controls.
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