BOULDER, Colo.—A survey of a stairway and office near a lab room found additional trace contamination from radioactive particles from a glass vial that cracked and spilled a powder containing plutonium.
A survey being done Thursday and Friday as part of the cleanup and assessment from Monday’s incident at the National Institute of Standards and Technology found the contamination on a desk, a notebook, and a chair used by a researcher handling the vial.
The soles of the researcher’s office-mate and the stairway also showed trace contamination.
NIST officials said 22 workers were exposed and decontaminated with soap and water, while an additional two workers later said they were exposed.
Federal officials said workers are undergoing medical tests. Radiation from plutonium is weak but hazardous if ingested or inhaled.
