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posted by martyb on Friday February 22 2019, @03:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the public-sievert dept.

Grand Canyon tourists exposed for years to radiation in museum building, safety manager says

For nearly two decades at the Grand Canyon, tourists, employees, and children on tours passed by three paint buckets stored in the National Park's museum collection building, unaware that they were being exposed to radiation.

Although federal officials learned last year that the 5-gallon containers were brimming with uranium ore, then removed the radioactive specimens, the park's safety director alleges nothing was done to warn park workers or the public that they might have been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation.

In a rogue email sent to all Park Service employees on Feb. 4, Elston "Swede" Stephenson — the safety, health and wellness manager — described the alleged cover-up as "a top management failure" and warned of possible health consequences.

[...] Stephenson said the containers were stored next to a taxidermy exhibit, where children on tours sometimes stopped for presentations, sitting next to uranium for 30 minutes or more. By his calculation, those children could have received radiation dosages in excess of federal safety standards within three seconds, and adults could have suffered dangerous exposure in less than a half-minute.

Also at NPR.


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  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday February 22 2019, @04:16AM (3 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Friday February 22 2019, @04:16AM (#804872)

    It happens.

    Understood. Forgiven.

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  • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @04:23AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @04:23AM (#804874)

    How magnanimous of you

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @10:59AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 22 2019, @10:59AM (#804968)

    Understood. Forgiven.

    Doesn't sound like it.

    If you don't like the quality of anything on this site then put your time where your mouth is and volunteer! I could go on and on, but since you suggested using /. as a source I only have two words for you: Fuck Beta

  • (Score: 2) by edIII on Friday February 22 2019, @08:27PM

    by edIII (791) on Friday February 22 2019, @08:27PM (#805311)

    We don't need your forgiveness asshole. If you feel that strongly about it, walk the walk buddy. Become an editor here, or just go back to /.

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