Campus Alert Archive
UW

Saw Meets Cesium: When a $156 Million Near-Miss Shut Down a UW Research Building for Two Years

WAhazmatemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the night of May 2, 2019, a contractor hired by the Department of Energy accidentally breached a sealed cesium-137 source while removing a blood irradiator from the University of Washington's Harborview Research and Training Building in Seattle. The capsule was sawed open, releasing radioactive contamination across all seven floors. Thirteen people were contaminated, including an FBI agent on-site as a security observer. The building closed immediately and did not reopen for more than two years; remediation cost an estimated $60 million.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
13
Institution
University of Washington
Public R1 · WA
~47,400 studentsUW Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Seattle Times and KING5 reporting on the initial response to the May 2, 2019 cesium-137 breach at the Harborview Research and Training Building429 chars
UW Environmental Health and Safety: There has been an incident involving radioactive material at the Harborview Research and Training Building at 325 9th Avenue, Seattle. The building is being evacuated and access is restricted. Seattle Fire, UW EH&S, and radiation safety personnel are responding. All personnel should exit the building and remain clear of the area. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The breach occurred at approximately 9:30 PM PDT (2130 hours) on May 2, 2019, during the removal operation; more than one hour passed before the International Isotopes team recognized the problem, and more than four hours before a police officer called 911
The building at 325 9th Avenue is UW's Harborview Research and Training (HRT) Building, separate from the Harborview Medical Center hospital but located on the same campus
The FBI agent present was serving as a security escort per NNSA protocol for Category 1/2 radioactive source removal; the agent was among the 13 people contaminated
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Seattle Times reporting on the morning-after update including the 13 contaminated, 10 ER-admitted figures and the 200-employee relocation633 chars
University of Washington update regarding the Harborview Research and Training Building: Thirteen individuals who were present at or near the building during last night's radioactive material incident have been evaluated at Harborview Medical Center emergency department. Ten were admitted for observation and have since been discharged. No lasting health effects are anticipated. The building remains closed. About 200 researchers and staff will need to relocate temporarily. The U.S. Department of Energy is leading the response in coordination with UW Environmental Health and Safety and the Washington State Department of Health.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Seattle Times reported that 10 of the 13 contaminated individuals were admitted to Harborview Medical Center's emergency room and discharged the next day; the radiation exposure was described as equivalent to the dose from a CT scan
The DOE led the response because the removal operation was an NNSA Off-site Source Recovery Program (OSRP) activity -- the cesium-137 source was being removed as part of a federal effort to recover disused radioactive sources from medical and research facilities
The 200 researchers and staff who used the building were relocated to other UW Medicine and University of Washington facilities for the duration of the multi-year remediation
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from HazmatNation and other reporting on the DOE after-action report findings released in March 2020534 chars
A Department of Energy after-action report has determined that the May 2, 2019 radioactive material incident at UW's Harborview Research and Training Building was preventable and constituted a near miss to a significant event. The contractor, International Isotopes of Idaho Falls, sawed into the cesium-137 source capsule when attempting to fit it into the transport vessel. Remediation of the seven-story building is expected to take approximately one year from this point. The total estimated remediation cost is up to $60 million.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The DOE report described the event as 'an extraordinarily severe emergency' and 'a near miss to a significant event' that could have 'devastated the Seattle area' if more cesium had dispersed
The root cause was the contractor's decision to saw through the cesium capsule holder to make it fit the transport vessel -- the saw went through the holder and into the source itself, releasing approximately 2,900 curies of Cs-137
The DOE ultimately spent $8.6 million on cleanup in FY2019 alone; total remediation was estimated at up to $60 million, with the building reopening more than two years after the incident
Context

Background

The University of Washington Harborview Research and Training Building at 325 9th Avenue in Seattle housed UW Medicine research labs and about 200 staff. On the evening of May 2, 2019, International Isotopes Inc. of Idaho Falls -- a contractor hired by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration Off-site Source Recovery Program (OSRP) -- was removing a cesium-137 blood irradiator from the building's second-floor loading dock. The irradiator's cesium capsule, containing approximately 2,900 curies of Cs-137, would not fit into the designated transport vessel. Rather than halting the operation, the International Isotopes team sawed into the source holder -- and cut into the cesium capsule itself, releasing radioactive material. Over an hour passed before the team recognized the problem; more than four hours elapsed before a police officer on security detail called 911. Thirteen people -- including workers, UW staff who happened to be in the area, and an FBI special agent present as a security escort -- were contaminated. All seven floors of the building were affected by dispersed contamination. Ten of the 13 contaminated individuals were admitted to Harborview Medical Center's emergency department and discharged the next day, with exposures described as roughly equivalent to a CT scan. About 200 researchers and staff were relocated to other UW facilities. A March 2020 DOE after-action report called the incident 'preventable' and described it as 'a near miss to a significant event' that could have devastated the Seattle area. Remediation of the seven-story building proceeded in five phases and was not complete until mid-2021, at a total estimated cost of up to $60 million.
Analysis

Key Findings

The contractor sawed through the cesium-137 source capsule to fit it in the transport vessel -- a decision that transformed a routine source-removal operation into a multi-year, $60 million remediation
More than four hours elapsed between the breach and the first 911 call, illustrating how delayed recognition and reporting can compound radiological emergencies
Thirteen people were contaminated, including an FBI agent; all seven floors of the building were affected; the building closed for over two years
A DOE after-action report labeled the event 'preventable' and 'a near miss to a significant event' -- one of the strongest public self-criticisms issued by the NNSA for a source-recovery operation
Outcome
Building closed for 2+ years for remediation. Thirteen people contaminated, 10 admitted to Harborview ER and discharged the next day; no lasting injuries reported. About 200 researchers and staff relocated. DOE-led remediation cost estimated at $60 million. Federal report called the event 'preventable' and 'a near miss to a significant event.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    13 exposed to radioactive material at UW research site near Seattle's Harborview Medical Center (Seattle Times)
    seattletimes.com
  2. Report
    Sealed Source Recovery at the University of Washington Harborview Training and Research Facility (DOE)
    energy.gov
  3. Official
    UW Research and Training Building Remediation (UW Environmental Health and Safety)
    ehs.washington.edu
  4. Source
    2019 Seattle radiation leak a 'near miss' to disaster, federal report finds (HazmatNation)
    hazmatnation.com
  5. News
    Seattle Harborview Research and Training radiation leak 'near miss' (KING5 News)
    king5.com
  6. Report
    Sealed Source Recovery at the University of Washington -- DOE Technical Report
    energy.gov
Tags
cesium-137radioactive-spillradiologicalhazmatNNSADOEsource-recoverybuilding-closurepublic-r1Seattleblood-irradiatornear-misscontractor-negligence
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion