- Environmental law group urged a halt on September 12, 2025.
- State said regulators are onsite and monitoring operations.
- Federal agencies authorized controlled depressurization on September 16, 2025.
- Community members voiced concerns about health and trust.
Friday, September 19, 2025 — Last week, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center
sent a letter asking Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to stop Los Alamos National Laboratory from proceeding with tritium venting. The letter characterized tritium as a radioactive form of hydrogen that can bond with water and move through the body, and it warned that infants could receive higher doses than adults. It argued the state acted too quickly in allowing the work and said the public notification system and weather considerations were insufficient for the planned schedule.
According to a statement shared by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center on September 18, 2025, the Governor’s office said the New Mexico Environment Department was monitoring the activity, with the Environmental Protection Agency overseeing air emissions and the National Nuclear Security Administration managing the operation. The statement said Environment Department staff were onsite to verify compliance.
What the operation involves.
On September 16, 2025, the National Nuclear Security Administration and Los Alamos National Laboratory announced they had begun a controlled depressurization of gases in four flanged tritium waste containers stored at the lab since 2007. The agencies said each container would be addressed one at a time, under real-time monitoring, with the work expected to take about two weeks, subject to weather. The lab’s public project page describes daily status updates, conservative release limits, and a plan to pause work if meteorological conditions fall outside predefined bounds. Mid-week updates reported that the first container had been opened and showed no internal pressure, with monitoring indicating no deviation from background levels, and provided a preliminary estimate of total tritium emissions to date along with a modeled off-site dose well below regulatory thresholds.
Community reaction and oversight timeline.
Community members interviewed in local news coverage described concern about potential health effects and urged transparency as the work proceeds. Earlier in the month, state and federal regulators provided the final authorizations that allowed the operation to move forward, following a long period of public debate, technical reviews, and independent assessments of alternatives.
Why tritium is handled under strict controls.
Tritium is a hydrogen isotope used in national security applications and in fusion research. Handling guidelines require specialized capture systems, glovebox work, continuous air monitoring, and modeling to keep potential releases within federal limits. The lab says only headspace gases are being depressurized, that filtration is designed to capture tritiated water vapor, and that real-time monitoring allows operators to pause work if readings approach limits.
LANL Tritium Project
: Frequently Asked Questions
What is tritium?
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen that has one proton and two neutrons. It combines readily with oxygen to form tritiated water, which can move through air and water and be taken up by living organisms. It emits low-energy beta radiation.
Why is tritium used at Los Alamos National Laboratory?
Tritium is used in national security applications, including gas transfer systems in certain nuclear weapons. It is also a focus of research connected to fusion energy. Work with tritium is conducted in controlled environments with specialized capture, shielding, and monitoring systems.
What are Flanged Tritium Waste Containers (FTWCs)?
FTWCs are engineered steel containers designed to hold tritium-contaminated materials. Four FTWCs packaged in 2007 were identified for off-site disposal after regulators determined they are hazardous waste under federal law because of small amounts of lead in the contents.
What activity occurred at LANL in mid-September 2025?
Beginning September 16, 2025, the National Nuclear Security Administration and Los Alamos National Laboratory started a controlled depressurization of gases in four FTWCs. The work is being performed one container at a time under real-time monitoring and with filtration designed to capture tritiated water vapor.
Is this the same as “venting all tritium” from the containers?
No. The operation is designed to relieve headspace gases and manage internal pressure. Project documents state that only a small fraction of total contents is involved, with filtration and monitoring used to limit any release.
Who authorized the work?
The Environmental Protection Agency oversees radiological air emissions permitting. The New Mexico Environment Department authorized the treatment process under hazardous waste law. Federal Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration officials are involved in oversight.
How long will the operation take?
Officials estimated about two weeks for all four containers, subject to weather and equipment status. Daily planning considers wind and safety conditions. Work can be paused if conditions are outside predefined limits or if on-site safety requires it.
What safety measures are in place?
The setup includes capture media engineered for tritiated water vapor, glovebox handling, real-time air monitoring at the work site, and off-site monitoring stations. The process is designed so operators can stop and secure the system if readings approach limits.
What are the regulatory dose limits?
Federal rules allow up to 10 millirem per year above background from all airborne radionuclide emissions at a site to a maximally exposed member of the public. For this project, the lab set an 8 millirem project limit at the site boundary for that modeled individual.
What have the lab’s early updates reported?
Mid-week status notes indicated no internal pressure in the first container and no deviation from background levels during initial air sampling. A preliminary tally reported less than 35 curies of tritium emissions to date with a modeled off-site dose of approximately 0.005 millirem to the hypothetical maximally exposed individual. The lab stated those numbers are informal and subject to peer review and validation.
What does the lab say about off-site impacts and protective actions?
Public guidance documents state that off-site impacts are not anticipated and that even a worst-case planning scenario would not require protective actions for the public. Real-time monitoring and daily decision checks are described as controls to remain within limits.
What happens if there is an unanticipated release?
The Emergency Operations Support Center would follow standard notification procedures, including alerting affected agencies and issuing messages through established systems. Operators can pause the work and secure the configuration at any time.
How are weather and rain considered?
Daily operations proceed only if meteorological conditions remain within evaluated bounds. The schedule can shift because of wind, lightning, or other weather that could affect safety or monitoring reliability.
What do critics say?
Environmental advocates expressed concern about potential health effects, risk communication, and equity for nearby communities, including Pueblos. A September 12, 2025, letter to the Governor called for halting the work and argued that infants could receive higher doses than adults and that recent state authorization was too rapid.
How did the Governor’s office respond?
A statement shared publicly said the New Mexico Environment Department was actively monitoring the operation, with the Environmental Protection Agency and National Nuclear Security Administration overseeing the technical work and compliance.
What happens to the FTWCs after depressurization?
After pressure mitigation, the plan is to move the containers to a different on-site location for further treatment, repackage the contents into transportation-compliant containers, and ship the waste to a licensed facility.
What should residents do during active work?
Project materials indicate no changes to routine activities are recommended based on the current plan and modeled impacts. Officials say real-time monitoring will guide operations and that daily summaries will be posted in official repositories after validation.
Where can people learn more about tritium itself?
Tritium is a hydrogen isotope with a short half-life that decays to helium-3. Because tritium bonds into water, facilities handling it use systems that capture moisture and track emissions. It is valued in national security and studied for its role in potential fusion energy systems.
