Jul 11, 2007

Contaminated dust found in homes, offices near LANL

A shorter version of the story the the Albuquerque KOB news site.

A comment was left on the previous Elevated Radioactivity Found Around Los Alamos post that contains what is apparently a LANL-generated response to the Government Accountability Project report, but a report header was not included, so there is no identifying information about its source. If someone wanted to send a complete copy of that report we will post it here.

--Gussie

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Contaminated dust found in homes, offices near LANL

SANTA FE (AP) - A government watchdog group says dust samples it took last year from homes and workplaces near Los Alamos National Laboratory showed elevated levels of radioactivity.

The Government Accountability Project took 79 samples last November of dust, dirt, plants and ash from areas near the nuclear weapons lab. None of the sites was on lab property.

Project officials say seven of the eight samples with the highest radiation levels were from homes or offices.

They say the results are troubling because fine dust is easily breathed into the lungs.

The worst contamination was found in dust from a bathroom fan at a state Environment Department office in White Rock, near Los Alamos.

Contaminated dust also was found at homes in Picuris and San Ildefonso pueblos.

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