December 1, 2003

On August 5, 2003, a release of plutonium-238 occurred in a storage room at the Plutonium Facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory, resulting in radiation doses to two workers in the room. The Accident Investigation Board concluded that the direct cause of the accident was the release of airborne contamination from a degraded package that contained cellulose material and plutonium-238 residues.