Hanford employee tests positive for radioactive contamination

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — An employee at the Hanford Fire Station has tested positive for a very low level of internal radioactive contamination.

The Tri-City Herald reports that Department of Energy officials say the employee was exposed after breathing equipment used at the nuclear reservation's Plutonium Finishing Plant was sent to the station for storage.

More than 100 of the Hanford Fire Department's 150 workers have requested tests of their bodily fluid to see if they also may have been exposed.

DOE Richland Operations Office Chief of Staff Erik Olds says preliminary results from nine fire department employees have only yielded one positive result.

Officials say the worker with a preliminary positive result for internal contamination is not expected to face a significant health risk.