No uranium ore exposure for Grand Canyon park employees

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Authorities say preliminary findings indicate no current uranium ore exposure for employees and visitors at Grand Canyon National Park.

Park officials announced last month they were investigating whether anyone was exposed to radiation at unsafe levels while samples of uranium ore sat in plastic buckets in a park research building.

Three 5-gallon (18.93-litre) buckets were removed from a building about a half mile (8 kilometres) from the South Rim that houses the park’s archives and artifacts.

Park officials say it appears the previous reported radiation levels taken in June 2018 at the museum collection building were significantly overstated.

They say new radiation measurements and instrument comparisons show actual radiation levels were significantly lower than initially believed and radiation levels are consistent with background and other areas of the park.