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Possible Plutonium Breach At New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Officials at one of the nation's prominent nuclear labs are investigating the potential exposure of employees to plutonium.

Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico has confirmed that 15 workers are being evaluated after a breach involving a gloved box that was being used to handle the material. The incident happened in June. The lab says the area inside the plutonium facility was secured and there's no risk to public health or safety. Los Alamos is preparing to resume and ramp up production of the plutonium cores used to trigger nuclear weapons. It's facing of a 2026 deadline to begin producing at least 30 cores a year.