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LANL Reneges on Active Confinement Ventilation Systems at PF-4
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) continues to neglect its obligations to safely operate its nuclear weapons facilities in a manner required by laws, orders, guidance and common sense.
A recent report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB or the Board) details the threats from the release of plutonium contaminated air during a seismic event from the LANL Plutonium Facility, or PF-4. For over 20 years, the Board has recommended that LANL establish active confinement ventilation systems for PF-4, and LANL agreed. https://www.dnfsb.gov/content/review-los-alamos-plutonium-facility-documented-safety-analysis
Active confinement ventilation systems require negative air pressure in rooms and buildings where plutonium is stored, handled and processed. In the event of seismic activity, or other possible catastrophic events, the negative air pressure would keep the contamination inside where it could be held and filtered before being released.
The converse, which is called passive confinement systems, would do nothing. No filtration would occur. Contaminated air would move out of the building and into the air we breathe. Depending on the wind direction, radioactive plutonium particles would be deposited in neighborhoods, on hiking trails, fields, school grounds, and in the Rio Grande.
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1. Friday, November 14th from noon to 1 pm – Join the nuclear disarmament community at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval in Santa Fe for the weekly peaceful protest in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Join with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners.
2. Watch A House of Dynamite on Netflix. Read Joe Cirincione’s article A House of Dynamite Explodes the Missile Defense Myth: It is no wonder the interceptors fail in the film. This is an accurate portrayal of what is likely to happen in a crisis in New Republic (October 15, 2025). Cirincione is a national security analyst and author in Washington, D.C.
3. Thursday, November 13th and Friday, November 14th – International Uranium Film Festival at the Navajo National Museum in Window Rock, Arizona. The IUFF showcases an array of compelling films and explores the detrimental impacts of the uranium fuel chain on communities around the world. Organizers believe the films are a necessary part of the ongoing resistance to nuclear, specifically for public health and harm reduction efforts. For more information, visit: https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/
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