US nuke weapons lab to relocate waste

HOUSTON -- A nuclear weapons laboratory in the US state of New Mexico has been forced to relocate its refuse to Texas after a recent radiation leak at its nuclear waste repository, US media reported Thursday.

Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the leading nuclear weapons production facilities in the US, will now move its radioactive refuse to Waste Control Specialists, a nuclear waste processing and disposal company in Andrews County, Texas, local TV KOB quoted federal officials as saying.

The move comes amid a prolonged closure of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico where Los Alamos lab used to store its nuclear waste.

The underground repository has been closed since Feb. 14 when air sensors detected unusually high levels of radioactive particles on its underground level.

Experts said small amounts of radiation were detected both at underground and surface levels, adding that the cause of the leak remains unknown.

A total of 17 workers tested positive for radiation, but the level of their exposure was "extremely low," according to the US Department of Energy.

Lab operators said last week they would send qualified personnel to the underground repository once safety could be guaranteed, though the sealed facility sees no immediate recovery.

WIPP stores "transuranic waste" leftover from nuclear weapons research and testing concerning the nation's defense activities, according to the Energy Department. The waste includes clothing, tools, rags and other debris contaminated with radioactive elements, largely plutonium.

Related:

Nuclear contract lures Chinese firms

UN chief to address Nuclear Security Summit Monday