Hank Investigates: Radioactivity

Hank
"Do you think radioactive material is stolen more often than we know of?"

Robert Hallisey, Director, Radiation Control, DPH
"It concerns me that.."

"We seem to have seen an increased number of these cases in the past few years."

Here's one reason why: though the thousands of Massachusetts' labs using radioactive materials are required to follow strict security rules, state inspectors are finding often that they do not. And that may be putting the public at risk.

Matt Wilson, Director, Toxics Action Center
"It's a threat to workers it's a threat to communities which we can't afford."

In fact, our examination of state and federal inspection reports reveals a pattern of problems in public and private labs in Massachusetts. Since 1997, one out of three inspections discovered violations! Including breaches in security.

Hank
"Your inspectors have found places where radioactive material is completely accessible."

Bob Hallisey, Director, State Radiation Board
"Yes."

Hank
"Doors propped open, boxes open."

Bob
"That's right."

Look at the inspection reports. For colleges and hospitals, doors to research labs wide open, with radioactive materials being left accessible to anyone. At a private research lab, five open boxes of radioactive krypton were found unattended! Inspectors' notes say that people were being exposed.

Hank
"Do you think security in hospitals and school labs is as good as it could be?"

Dr. Thomas Winters
"No. It's deficient."

Dr. Thomas winters is a national expert on the effects of radiation. He says one low-level exposure probably isn't that dangerous, but the more you get, the riskier it is.

Dr. Winters
"The long-term health effects could be cancer."

That's why the inspectors check everything: "is this door handle contaminated? What about the floor? And why is this door unlocked?" Radioactivity is invisible and odorless, and workers get careless.

Dr. Winters
"It's harmful if it's allowed to enter the body."

And do note that state inspection reports reveal workers eating around radioactive materials, using them with no training, and not wearing protective monitoring devices.

Hank
"What do you think when you see these?"

Matt Wilson
"It sounds from these inspection reports that a very high percentage of people are not abiding by the regulations."

Here's one result: this NRC report we obtained reveals a whole list of deliberate radioactive poisonings still unsolved. Including at MIT where a student was poisoned. A federal investigation charged security in the lab was weak.

Hank
"So they never caught anyone or charged anyone?"

Hallisey
"No, no."

Inspections are supposed to prevent threats to public safety, but how well do these inspection programs work? We found that the best labs are inspected once a year.

Matt Wilson
"They need to be out there and be more aggressive."

However, everyday thousands of experiments are being conducted behind closed doors. Officials admit that there's no way to predict when the next security breach will result in a theft or a poisoning.

Hank
"Could that happen again?"

Hallisey
"Yes, I believe it can happen again."

"You can't be there all the time."

When they do find problems, the state does have the authority to make violators pay fines. But our investigation found--that rarely happens! The usual punishment is just a warning letter. And some critics say that is sending labs the wrong message.