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Idaho University Faces Fine After Losing Weapons-Grade Plutonium

Researchers at Idaho State University lost a 'minute' amount of plutonium nearly a decade ago.
National Nuclear Security Administration
Researchers at Idaho State University lost a 'minute' amount of plutonium nearly a decade ago.

Idaho University Faces Fine After Losing Weapons-Grade Plutonium

Researchers at Idaho State University said they’ve lost a small amount of weapons-grade plutonium. Federal officials aren’t pleased.

It was one gram and not enough to make a nuclear weapon, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Idaho State University researchers probably disposed of it in 2003, but forgot to complete a form.

“We think it was shipped inadvertently to a licensed nuclear disposal facility and is probably not out in the public sector where it would pose a threat to members of the public,” said Victor Dricks, a spokesperson for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

He said it’s a minute amount of material and incidents like this don’t happen very often.

Plutonium is highly regulated at universities. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed fining Idaho State more than $8,000.

University scientists were researching ways to ensure radioactive waste containers didn’t leak and to detect radioactive material that might be illegally smuggled into the United States.

In a statement, a university spokesperson said Idaho State has upgraded their inventory system and says the “radioactive source in question poses no direct health issue or risk to public safety.”

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

Copyright 2020 Yellowstone Public Radio. To see more, visit Yellowstone Public Radio.

Nate Hegyi is the Utah reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, based at KUER. He covers federal land management agencies, indigenous issues, and the environment. Before arriving in Salt Lake City, Nate worked at Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, and was an intern with NPR's Morning Edition. He received a master's in journalism from the University of Montana.
Nate Hegyi
Nate Hegyi is a reporter with the Mountain West News Bureau based at Yellowstone Public Radio. He earned an M.A. in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism in 2016 and interned at NPR’s Morning Edition in 2014. In a prior life, he toured around the country in a band, lived in Texas for a spell, and once tried unsuccessfully to fly fish. You can reach Nate at nate@ypradio.org.
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