Officials at the Hanford nuclear weapons plant in Richland, Wash., were perplexed as to how low levels of radiation contamination was turning up in strange places, such as offices and trash. They discovered source is flies, gnats and ants walking on low-level plutonium waste, then later walking on surfaces outside the containment areas. A trash facility returned 210 tons of office trash to Hanford because it was contaminated, though not severely: someone would have to stand next to the contaminated spots for an hour before being exposed to as much radiation received during a dental X-ray, according to a site spokesman. However, the most-contaminated areas have been closed to workers.

((c) AP)