Los Alamos National Lab's history of security and safety woes is long and well-documented. But even by the shoddy standards of the notoriously-lax birthplace of the atomic bomb, this latest incident is a whopper.

Last week, "researchers accidentally blew a building apart... while testing a gun which acts like a Civil War cannon," the watchdogs at the Project on Government Oversight note. "While no one was hurt, sources advise POGO that there was over $3 million in damage to property."

A little after 3pm local time on December 16th, "researchers heard a loud unusual noise from Technical Area 15, Building 562 after firing a shot from a large-bore powder gun," according to a Lab "Occurrence Report." "About twenty minutes later, the research conducted surveillance outside [the building] and observed that "two doors had been blown off the facility and concrete shielding blocks on the west and the east side of the building were separated from the wall."

Nobody was hurt. But it is another black eye for Los Alamos, which constantly seems on the cusp of credibility – only to fall back into the abyss. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

UPDATE: "Despite claims to the contrary, the only thing 'demolished' in this case was POGO's credibility. No building at Los Alamos was destroyed in this incident and any suggestion otherwise is the sort of irresponsible hyperbole we've come to expect from this group," National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Damien LaVera e-mails Danger Room.

Here are the facts: On December 16, Los Alamos conducted a standard proof test on a new design for a catch tank in the target chamber for one of our large bore powder guns (LBPG). These types of experiments are routine and responsible. The LBPG is used to conduct measurements of material properties at pressures needed for understanding nuclear weapons performance. During this particular test, unexpected explosive damage occurred and, because that damage could result in $1 million in damages, an investigation was automatically triggered. That investigation will seek to identify the cause of the incident and any changes in procedures that might be required. NNSA, Los Alamos, and all of our facilities take their commitment to safety very seriously. It is important to note that no personnel were injured from this event, no hazardous or radioactive materials were involved, and that lab's incident response mechanisms appear to have performed as intended."

[Photo: Noah Shachtman]

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