Lab Acknowledges It Could Be Polluter

By Associated Press Copyright 1998 New York Times August 19, 1998

Plutonium found in the sediment of the Peconic River came from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, environmentalists said yesterday, and the lab admitted it might well be the source of the dangerous substance.

The lab's director, John Marburger, said that Brookhaven "will accept responsibility for levels of plutonium requiring cleanup, and will work with health officials and the community to develop and execute an environmentally responsible cleanup plan for the river."

The three environmental groups that released the information about the presence of plutonium in the river were Standing for Truth About Radiation, Fish Unlimited, and the Community Alliance for Lab Accountability. Exposure to plutonium can cause leukemia and bone, liver and lung cancer, said Helen Caldicott, a Nobel laureate who is vice president of Standing for Truth About Radiation.

The Brookhaven lab announced in June that a small amount of plutonium had been found in the sediment at the headwaters of the river on lab property. Lab officials had said the plutonium had leaked from a graphite research reactor that closed in 1968. In July, Mr. Marburger called that data inconclusive. But yesterday, a lab spokeswoman, Mona Rowe said, "The source could certainly be Brookhaven lab."

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