5 Hanford workers might have been exposed to chemical vapors again after smells were reported at the nuclear site just outside of Richland.

The first two workers might have been exposed when they were in the pump storage room of the 242-A Evaporator and odors were detected when they were preparing to evaporate liquids from tank waste. That incident happened on Friday, June 15th.

The next incident happened the following Thursday on June 21st. Three workers reported smelling odors outside of the AW farm. They were not wearing protective equipment because they were outside the fence line supposedly far enough away from the tanks.

Four of the five employees were checked for chemical vapor exposure with one employee refusing treatment. Two of those workers reported symptoms of exposure, according to reports.

All employees were released back to work and the area was reopened.

"The state of Washington, Hanford Challenge and union Local 598 filed a lawsuit in federal court in September 2015, seeking better protection for Hanford workers at risk of inhaling chemical vapors."

The trial has had multiple delays but has now been moved from April 8, 2019, to June 24, 2019.

These incidents happened just days after the contractor Washington River Protection Solutions announced that it and union leaders agreed to a loosening of some vapor-protection requirements at the Hanford site.

More From 97.1 KXRX