Nuclear

Ted Lewis knew the plutonium plates at the government lab where he worked could leak potentially lethal radioactive dust. He had seen it occur in … Repeated radiation warnings go unheeded at sensitive Idaho nuclear plantRead more

Not a clue. The government scientists didn’t know they were breathing in radioactive uranium at the time it was happening. In fact, most didn’t learn … More than 30 nuclear experts inhale uranium after radiation alarms at a weapons site are switched offRead more

The plan on a hot summer day was to liquefy highly flammable lithium at a temperature of more than 750 degrees and then pump it … Light penalties and lax oversight encourage weak safety culture at nuclear weapons labsRead more

In mid-2013, four federal nuclear safety experts brought an alarming message to the top official in charge of America’s warhead production: Los Alamos National Laboratory, … Safety problems at a Los Alamos laboratory delay U.S. nuclear warhead testing and productionRead more

Technicians at the government’s Los Alamos National Laboratory settled on what seemed like a surefire way to win praise from their bosses in August 2011: … A near-disaster at a federal nuclear weapons laboratory takes a hidden toll on America’s arsenalRead more