Radiation leak detected at New Mexico nuclear plant
February 17, 2014  08:28
US investigators have been taking samples at a New Mexico underground nuclear waste site where airborne radiation was detected, though authorities stressed they had found no contamination. 

Officials monitoring the possible radiation leak said there was no danger to people or the environment at the the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the nation's first repository to seal away radioactive waste, mostly plutonium, used for defence research and the production of nuclear weapons.

The waste is dumped 655 meters underground in disposal rooms excavated in an ancient, stable salt formation. 

No employees were underground when the continuous air monitor at WIPP near Carlsbad, New Mexico detected underground radiation at 1200 IST Saturday, an agency statement said. 

It said no staffer was found to be contaminated by the radiation. 

Employees on the surface were told to shelter in place as a precautionary measure and were cleared to leave the site starting at 0630 IST yesterday. 

"We are continuing to monitor and we are emphasising that there is no danger to human health and the environment," WIPP spokeswoman Deb Gill told AFP.
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