Los Alamos increases plutonium check-ups

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., May 20 (UPI) -- Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory officials are checking stored plutonium more often to prevent cooling water from boiling away, U.S. officials say.

Federal auditors with the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board found such risks existed when they inspected Los Alamos and recommended more attention be given to the cooling water to prevent a release of deadly plutonium within the lab's main complex, the Albuquerque Journal reported Wednesday.

National Nuclear Security Administration chief Tom D'Agostino wrote in a letter to the Safety Board Los Alamos workers have begun checking daily to make sure the water level does not drop, which could prompt containment vessels to burst, the Journal said.

Lab officials referred the newspaper's questions to the NNSA.

U.S. officials have reportedly said they plan to ensure that such plutonium -- which used to make power supplies for NASA deep space missions -- will eventually be stored in containers that can withstand the loss of cooling water.