Nuke Safety Board Warns Of Gas Buildup

Hydrogen gas is building up to dangerous levels in vats and pipes at the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant and could explode, according to a report from a plant monitoring committee.

The buildup is “well into the potential explosive range,” the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board warned in a letter to the Energy Department, which runs the plant 16 miles northwest of Denver.

The hydrogen is not radioactive, but an explosion could spew radioactive material that remains in pipes, vats and ducts, officials said.