INES-event
INES 1

Incident involving radioactive material at IAEA safeguards laboratory

Pressure build-up in a small sealed sample bottle in a storage safe resulted in plutonium contamination of a storage room at about 02:30h on 3 August 2008 at the IAEA's Safeguards Analytical Laboratory in Seibersdorf.
All indications are that there was no release of radioactivity to the environment. Further monitoring around the laboratory will be undertaken. No one was working in the laboratory at the time.
The Laboratory’s safety system detected plutonium contamination in the storage room where the safe was located and in two other rooms – subsequently confirmed by a team of IAEA radiation protection experts.
The Laboratory is equipped with multiple safety systems, including an air-filtering system to prevent the release of radioactivity to the environment.
There will be restricted access to the affected rooms until they are decontaminated.

Location: IAEA Safeguards Seibersdorf Laboratory
Event date: Sun, 03-08-2008
Nuclear event report
Legenda & explanation