Report of the JHPS working group for plutonium intake accident

Abstract

On June 6, 2017, in the hood of the analyzing room at Plutonium Fuel Facility of Oarai Research and Development Center in Japan Atomic Energy Agency, five workers were checking the storage container of fast reactor nuclear fuel material. Around 11:15 a.m., vinyl bags in the container of the fuel material including plutonium and enriched uranium burst during the inspection work. All the workers heard the bang; which caused misty dust leakage from the container. This event caused significant skin a-contamination for four workers and nasal cavity a-contammation for three workers. Decontamination was conducted for workers in the shower room. Then, the five workers were transferred to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratory to evaluate inhalation intake of plutonium etc. in lungs. The maximum values of 2.2 × 10 4 Bq for 239 Pu and 2.2 × 10 2 Bq for 241 Am were estimated by the lung monitor. From these results, injection of chelate agent was conducted for prompt excretion of plutonium etc. Next morning, the five workers were transferred to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences for treatments including decontamination of their skin and measurement by lung monitor. Then no obvious energy peak was confirmed for plutonium. The Japan Health Physics Society launched the ad-hoc working group for plutonium intake accident around the middle of June to survey issues and to extract lessons on radiological protection. We will report the activity of the working group.