131 LA UR 03 5862 - National Nuclear Security Administration ...

In addition to the new wing, process waters from cooling of a laser were routed in 1998 to the Countysewage treatment facility in Bayo Canyon. As a result, there were no discharges from Outfall 03A-040in 1998. This outfall was eliminated from the NPDES permit on January 11, 1999. The animal colonywas downsized substantially in 1996 and 1997 and eliminated entirely in 1999. Research activitiesinvolving radioactive materials were moved into the space previously occupied by the animal colony. In1999, the volume of radioactive work at HRL had significantly diminished from previous years. This wasattributed to technological advances and new methods, such as the use of laser-based instrumentation andchemiluminescense, which do not require the use of radioactive materials. For instance, DNA sequencingpredominantly uses laser analysis of fluorescent dyes hooked onto DNA bases instead of radioactivetechniques. During 2000, 2001, and 2002, the volume of work with radioactive materials continued todiminish.In 2000, 2001, and 2002, buildings within TA-43 continued to have interior remodeling and rearranging toaccommodate new and existing work. In 2000, the principal change in TA-43-1 resulted from relocation ofradionuclide materials handling activities from the first floor north wing to the basement. In 2002, only minorinterior changes to accommodate operational changes have occurred.Growth in the Structural Genomics capability in 2000 resulted in the remodeling of over 1,000 square feetof laboratory and office space at LANL. Bioscience relocated two aspects of Genomics work from TA-43-1to TA-35-85 to alleviate crowding and allow work to expand. Sequencing instruments were relocated to anundeveloped area of about 800 square feet within Building TA-35-85 that was modified to accept this work.In addition to instruments from TA-43-1, sequencing instruments from the University of New Mexico werealso added to TA-35-85. This project is an international collaboration that provides bioscience resourcesat LANL to scientists all over the world. In 2002, Bioscience has continued the development of TA-35-85.This is a key effort for Bioscience Division. In 2002, the southwest corner of TA-35-85 was remodeledto accommodate Division needs. Phase 1 is now complete. Bioscience Division is planning to continueexpansions at TA-35 as Nonproliferation and International Security work is relocated to new buildings.The addition of Computational Biology to Bioscience in 1999 required remodeling of TA-43-45 toaccommodate the growth. This capability requires computing workstations and has affected available officespace at TA-43-1. This is a growth capability and will continue to require additional office space. Thiscapability does not generate wastes nor use hazardous materials.The HRL facility has BSL-1 and BSL-2 work, which includes limited work with infectious microbes andlow-toxicity biotoxins, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All biosafetyactivities are regulated by the CDC National Institutes of Health, LANL’s Institutional Biosafety Committee,and the Institutional Biosafety Officer. BSL-2 work is expanding as part of LANL’s growing Chemical andBiological Nonproliferation Program.Biosafety Level 3 Facility: During 2002, Bioscience began construction of a BSL-3 facility (LANL2000c); this activity has progressed substantially. The new BSL-3 facility is specifically designed to safelyhandle and store infectious organisms. It will enable Los Alamos scientists to fully commit to the nationalsecurity mission of LANL and to contribute new technological solutions to the global threat of emerginginfectious diseases. It will be the first BSL-3 facility in the DOE complex.Description: The BSL-3 building will be a 3,202-square-foot, stand-alone containment facility that will belocated remotely from the Los Alamos townsite, on the canyon west of Diamond Drive and south of SigmaRoad. The building near the MSL at the intersection of Diamond Drive and Pajarito Road will contain twolaboratory spaces at the BSL-3 level, a larger BSL-2 laboratory area, offices, and related storage and changingrooms. The mechanical system will accommodate directional airflow and negative pressure from the areas oflesser to greater risk, plus door interlocks and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration.SWEIS Yearbook—2002 2-127