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Department of Energy: Information on the Tritium Leak and Contractor Dismissal at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

ADA331640

Publication Date	1997
Page Count	48
Abstract	As requested, we reviewed the events surrounding the leak of the radioactive element tritium from a research reactor at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the resulting termination of Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), as the laboratory's contractor. BNL is a federally funded research facility located in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, that is owned by the Department of UUI is a not-for-profit corporation that has operated the laboratory since it was created in 1947. In January 1997, ground water samples taken by BNL Staff revealed concentrations of tritium that were twice the allowable federal drinking water standards -some samples taken later were 32 times the standard. The tritium was found to be leaking from the laboratory's High Flux Beam Reactor's spent-fuel pool into the aquifer that provides drinking water for nearby Suffolk County residents. In response to DOE'S investigation and other factors, we identified the events leading up to discovery of the tritium leak, evaluated why these events occurred, and determined the reasons used by the Secretary of Energy to terminate DOE'S contract with AUI.
Keywords	Water pollution Radioactive contamination Tritium Research facilities Drinking water Sampling Gao reports Brookhaven national laboratory
Source Agency	Non Paid ADAS
Corporate Authors	General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Resources, Community and Economic Development Div.
Supplemental Notes	Report to Committee on Science, US Congress.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	199805

Department of Energy: Information on the Tritium Leak and Contractor Dismissal at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Department of Energy: Information on the Tritium Leak and Contractor Dismissal at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
ADA331640

Publication Date	1997
Page Count	48
Abstract	As requested, we reviewed the events surrounding the leak of the radioactive element tritium from a research reactor at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the resulting termination of Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), as the laboratory's contractor. BNL is a federally funded research facility located in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, that is owned by the Department of UUI is a not-for-profit corporation that has operated the laboratory since it was created in 1947. In January 1997, ground water samples taken by BNL Staff revealed concentrations of tritium that were twice the allowable federal drinking water standards -some samples taken later were 32 times the standard. The tritium was found to be leaking from the laboratory's High Flux Beam Reactor's spent-fuel pool into the aquifer that provides drinking water for nearby Suffolk County residents. In response to DOE'S investigation and other factors, we identified the events leading up to discovery of the tritium leak, evaluated why these events occurred, and determined the reasons used by the Secretary of Energy to terminate DOE'S contract with AUI.
Keywords	Water pollution Radioactive contamination Tritium Research facilities Drinking water Sampling Gao reports Brookhaven national laboratory
Source Agency	Non Paid ADAS
Corporate Authors	General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Resources, Community and Economic Development Div.
Supplemental Notes	Report to Committee on Science, US Congress.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	199805