CLEANUP WORKER AT MAGILL HALL TESTS POSITIVE FOR RADIOACTIVE EXPOSURE

A man who worked to clean up radioactive contamination at Southeast Missouri State University's Magill Hall this summer has reportedly tested positive for exposure to the radioactive material, americium-241.

University officials and its current cleanup contractor, Science Applications International Corp., disclosed the news at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said the man worked for Englehardt Associates of Madison, Wis.

The man worked to clean up the radioactive contamination in the science building on June 12 and 16.

But school officials and Jim Moos, health and safety manager for SAIC, aren't certain as to the accuracy of the health test results.

Moos said neither he nor university officials have seen the urine test results that were conducted by a Chicago lab.

Both he and university officials said more testing is needed to determine if the test results are accurate and said SAIC will conduct its own tests. Four urine samples will be taken over the next six weeks and the results will be analyzed.

SAIC was hired after it became clear that the contamination problem was more extensive than originally thought.

The university found in February that americium-241 had leaked from a vial in a safe inside a basement storage room in Magill Hall. The leak was discovered after an inspection by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Radioactive contamination has been found in the basement of Magill Hall and upstairs in Room 242.

Some cleanup work has been done in Room 242. The remainder of that work and decontamination work in the basement will begin Oct. 9 and should be completed in four weeks, said Jim Moos, health and safety manager for SAIC.

The NRC is monitoring the current cleanup effort. The university has promised to keep better track of radioactive materials in science labs.

The report of possible exposure comes even as the university and SAIC continue to assess any health risk to university employees and others who may have come in contact with the radioactive contamination.

They still await test results from urine samples taken of 40 people who may have been exposed to the radioactive material. Test results on all but two of those people are expected by Oct. 4. Results of the tests on the other two, who were tested more recently, are expected later in October.

Moos said there is little health risk from a small exposure to radiation. The average person is exposed to 360 millirem of radiation a year.

The NRC says 100 millirem a year is an "acceptable exposure" for the average person. Moos said there is no cause for concern for any exposure below 5,000 millirem a year.

Room 242 and the basement have been closed to the public. Classes are being held in other parts of the building where no contamination was found.