The Nation : AF Cover-up of Radiation Spill Alleged

A tape recording proves that officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, tried to cover up a radioactive spill of americium 241 at the base, Sens. John Glenn and Howard M. Metzenbaum said. The Ohio senators said they had transcripts of the recording made during a meeting shortly after the Sept. 18, 1986, spill. “There is no question an attempted cover-up occurred,” Glenn said. Those who participated in the taped conversation advocated secretly decontaminating the building in which the spill occurred, removing the radioactive waste from it and erasing the tape, Glenn said. The officials were laughing and joking on the tape, he said. According to news reports, the substance had been brought on the base by a jeweler who planned to use it to treat diamonds.