BOULDER, Colo.—A commission formed after a plutonium leak at a National Institute of Standards and Technology lab in Boulder says the agency suffers from “a serious lack of resources for safety.”
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Management and Safety released its findings Friday, five months after at least a dozen people were exposed to plutonium at the lab. Officials have said none are expected to suffer significant health effects.
About a quarter-gram of powder containing the radioactive material spilled through a crack in a vial on June 9.
The report says safety is not a “core value” across the NIST, and it blames a lack of leadership.
NIST has named a new assistant director and made other changes since the spill. The commission says the agency’s staff is eager to improve.
