Oil Leak Damages Los Alamos Lasers

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Jan. 30 -- A ruptured mineral oil tank at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has caused an estimated $1.7 million in damage to lasers at the lab. The instruments were damaged when 5000 gallons of mineral oil leaked into the room where the lasers were housed, lab officials said. Officials are still trying to determine whether the lasers can be repaired or are ruined.
The oil is used to test equipment for the lab's Atlas pulse power facility that performs high-energy density experiments in support of weapons physics and basic research. That facility was not damaged. The mineral oil drenched a laser lab in the basement, damaging seven high-speed lasers, various microscopes and tables.