SEMO HIRES RADIATION CLEANUP CONTRACTOR

Southeast Missouri State University has hired an international science and engineering company to clean up the radioactive contamination at Magill Hall and to address health concerns.

Schools officials announced hiring Science Applications International Corp. on Thursday at a news conference.

Southeast President Dr. Ken Dobbins said the contract for the cleanup and health assessment will be worked out next week.

The university is seeking to address contamination that school officials and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission say apparently occurred when americium-241, a radioactive material, leaked from a safe in a basement storage room in the science building.

The radiation problem was first detected in February. NRC inspectors found the contamination had spread to other parts of the basement and a second-floor classroom.

University officials said they hope the cleanup can be completed prior to the start of fall classes.

The cleanup firm, SAIC, is a 31-year-old firm with over 40,000 employees. Headquartered in San Diego, it has over 150 offices worldwide and revenues of $5.5 billion.

Some 3,000 SAIC employees are environmental professionals, Dobbins said. The company has handled over 100 radiation projects.

The company has been involved in cleanup efforts at the gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, Ky.

Dobbins said the company is being asked to evaluate whether any individuals have been exposed to a significant health risk and to explain that risk.

The firm also will conduct a more detailed investigation of the americium contamination with the ultimate goal of completely decontaminating the building and dispose of any waste material, including any remaining stock of the chemical.

Jim Moos, project manager for SAIC, and Claude Laney, senior health physicist for the firm, were on the Southeast campus Thursday and spoke to reporters.

Moos said the company has "quite a lot of experience" with americium. Moos said they have seen the outside of the storage room but have yet to go inside.

Moos and Laney said their firm would look at the results of health scans done by another company and also consider further testing, if necessary, to assess any health risk to faculty, staff, students and others who may have been exposed to the radioactive contamination.

Possible further testing could include urine and fecal tests as well as body scans.

Dobbins said the NRC has suggested the university may want to do additional health testing beyond that done this week by Helgeson Scientific Services of Pleasanton, Calif.

Dobbins said the NRC made that suggestion because of the low energy of radioactivity emitted by the americium and the fact some of the potential for exposure took place months or even years ago.

Through Thursday, 46 people had been tested for contamination, most university employees and a handful of students.

A few people may be tested today before the mobile scanner is hauled off in a tractor-trailer, officials said.