Radioactive materials removed from Tennessee's Oak Ridge lab before demolition

Radioactive materials are being removed from an Oak Ridge lab slated for demolition.

According to a report from WVLT8, crews from the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and cleanup contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge have been working to remove radioactive materials from Building 3029, a legacy production lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory near Knoxville, Tennessee.

It was reported on Wednesday 8 July that officials said crews have already successfully removed 10 hazardous materials from the area and are continuing to clean up in preparation for demolition.

This is part of a risk-reduction effort project in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's central campus. Between the late 1940s and early 1960s, workers built eight radioisotope production labs and three storage facilities where employees produced, processed and researched isotopes used in medical, industrial, scientific and defence applications.

Preparations for demolition began in 2020, however workers soon discovered a highly radioactive source inside Building 3029’s hot cells, which are heavily shielded, concrete rooms used to safely contain and manipulate highly radioactive materials.

"Once this unexpected level of radiation was discovered, work was immediately paused to ensure that we had a path forward that would keep the workers and environment safe," said the United Cleanup Oak Ridge project manager Zachary Dew.

Radiation-resistant cameras were used to find and identify the radiation source. The cameras allowed the team to use remote-controlled equipment and long-handled tools to reach the materials from a safe distance.