ANS dedicates Nuclear Historic Landmark Award to PNNL

News Release

November 28, 2017

• Susan Bauer, PNNL, (509) 372-6083

RICHLAND, Wash. - The American Nuclear Society recognized the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab's Radiochemical Processing Lab with the ANS Nuclear Historic Landmark Award for its notable research and work in the areas of reactor safety, isotope isolation to cure cancer, environmental cleanup, and the advancement of nuclear nonproliferation. The dedication took place on November 27 at the facility in south-central Washington State.

"The world-class research performed at the Radiochemical Processing Lab is profound and continues to serve our nation today in nuclear energy and our national security as the only radionuclide Lab in the U.S. certified by the International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization," ANS President Bob Coward said.

The work of the RPL began in excess of 60 years ago and has been the center of many important operations and world-class research. It is a D.O.E. Hazard Category II Non-Reactor Facility. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security partnered with PNNL to create a plutonium oxide processing line at RPL for nuclear forensics.

"The RPL is a unique facility with nuclear science and engineering capabilities critical to environmental cleanup, nuclear monitoring and forensics, and basic science," said PNNL Director Steven Ashby. "The nation has invested in its modernization, ensuring that it will continue to serve future needs. For instance, D.O.E. recently installed a system that can process radioactive waste samples in support of long-term storage of Hanford tank waste."

The American Nuclear Society established the National Historic Landmark Award 32 years ago to commemorate nuclear facilities that have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments, which were instrumental in the advancement and implementation of nuclear technology and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Tags: Environment, National Security, Environmental Remediation, Nuclear Nonproliferation

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed and operated by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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