Nuclear Health and Safety

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, established in 1949, is an engineering facility whose primary function is to build, test, and operate nuclear reactors and support facilities. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Laboratory released radioactive materials into the atmosphere on several occasions. This fact sheet provides information on nuclear events at the Laboratory through the 1980s and on the extent to which the Department of Energy considered such events in determining the award fee paid to the Laboratory contractor. GAO focused on (1) airborne radiation release that may have exposed the public to radiation levels greater than the current public exposure standards and (2) events that resulted in one or more workers receiving an exposure exceeding the current annual standards for protecting workers from radiation.

GAO found that: (1) two radiation releases in 1956 and 1958 exceeded current public exposure limits; (2) agency records did not indicate that any nuclear-related events at INEL went unreported; (3) six events resulted in 25 workers receiving radiation doses in excess of current standards; (4) 5 of the 6 worker exposure incidents occurred before award fee contracts were introduced at INEL; and (5) it was unable to determine from records or discussions with DOE whether the event that occurred after INEL instituted award fees reduced the amount of award.