May 9—Los Alamos National Laboratory workers tore protective gloves attached to the sealed compartments where radioactive materials are handled in two separate incidents in the same week, a government watchdog reported. Neither of the glove box breaches spread airborne radioactive contaminants, but they are part of an increasing number of glove box mishaps occurring as […]
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory say they’ve discovered Earth-like environments on ancient Mars. NASA’s Curiosity rover recently found higher than usual amounts of Manganese on Mars craters showing sediments where water used to be and a nearby shoreline of an ancient lake. Team based in New Mexico captures images of […]
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory say they’ve discovered Earth-like environments on ancient Mars. NASA’s Curiosity rover recently found higher than usual amounts of Manganese on Mars craters showing sediments where water used to be and a nearby shoreline of an ancient lake. Team based in New Mexico captures images of […]
Apr. 29—A former Los Alamos National Laboratory attorney is suing the lab and its operations contractor, Triad National Security LLC, alleging she was driven out by an increasingly hostile environment after she complained about a supervisor’s treatment of her. Cristina Mulcahy, who worked as an attorney handling the lab’s hazardous waste permitting, has accused her […]
Apr. 25—Trace amounts of plutonium from decades of weapons work at Los Alamos National Laboratory have contaminated the Rio Grande at least as far as Cochiti Lake and could be in the regional aquifer that serves a large population of New Mexicans, a nuclear watchdog says. “That’s been long known,” Nuclear Watch New Mexico Director […]
Apr. 17—Los Alamos National Laboratory is not doing all it can to detect radioactive leaks in glove boxes and prevent the release of airborne contaminants, a federal watchdog said in a review it conducted of the equipment and safety programs after a series of mishaps. The equipment, made up of sealed compartments and attached protective […]
Apr. 14—It’s been almost 80 years since the first atomic bomb was detonated, and scientists say there’s still much to learn about how nuclear devices function as they reach the point of exploding. The estimated 1,054 explosive tests conducted in the U.S. before they were banned in 1992 and the 33 subcritical or non-explosive tests […]
Mar. 6—The full 2023 evaluation of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s primary contractor describes in more depth how worker safety incidents increased in severity that year, with one employee severing a fingertip, even though the contractor received the highest score in its tenure at the lab. The redacted report elaborates on the strengths and weaknesses of […]
Mar. 4—State regulators have fined the U.S. Department of Energy $420,000 for what they say is flawed hazardous waste storage at Los Alamos National Laboratory — problems that were never fixed after inspectors first observed them in 2022. The state has imposed penalties on the agency’s Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office for three sets […]
Feb. 5—The public again will have a chance to comment about an environmental assessment of a planned 14-mile high-voltage line that will stretch through forests and the Caja del Rio to Los Alamos National Laboratory. The U.S. Energy Department and its nuclear security agency will hold a second hearing on the power line Feb. 15 […]
Jan. 19—Los Alamos National Laboratory’s primary contractor earned a “very good” score for 2023 on a federal performance review but still was bedeviled by worker safety problems, flawed planning and incidents that disrupted operations. Triad National Security LLC earned 89% of the highest possible score on the yearly report card — its best showing since […]
Jan. 15—A Los Alamos National Laboratory worker’s skin was contaminated by radioactive residue while disassembling old equipment despite wearing full protective gear, a government watchdog reported. It’s the second lab employee in as many weeks to have their skin contaminated in a work area where sealed compartments, known as glove boxes, are being dismantled so […]