The National Nuclear Safety Authority (ANSN) requested clarification following a complaint about possible contamination by radioactive material at the Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research (Ipen), located on the campus of the University of São Paulo (USP), west of the capital. “In these cases, ANSN adopts a regular technical verification procedure, requesting the records and information necessary for the adequate assessment of the reported situation”, the authority announced this Thursday (11). Related news: Control panel failure expected to delay nuclear research at USP. Reports of contamination with radioactive material on Ipen's premises led the Union of Workers in the Federal Public Service in the State of São Paulo (Sindsef-SP) and the Association of Ipen Servers (Assipen) to request an official position and measures in relation to the incident. Ipen is an agency linked to the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SCTI) of the State of São Paulo and managed technically and administratively by the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), an entity of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). According to worker entities, the request was sent to the management of Ipen and CNEN. In a note, the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) confirmed that the incident is included in Internal Occurrence Report (ROI) No. 04/2026, dated May 29, 2026. The report is now being analyzed by the National Nuclear Security Authority (ANSN). "The document was prepared by professionals qualified in radiological protection, who analyzed in detail the episode involving the presence of traces of technetium-99 during the removal of biological sensors from an autoclave used in the radiopharmaceutical production process. Furthermore, it highlights the measurements carried out, the procedures adopted and the results obtained", informed the commission.  According to CNEN, the report describes that the incident involved two workers - Occupationally Exposed Individuals (IOEs) - who were subjected to in vivo examinations (Whole Body Count). "The detected counts were low and demonstrated that there was no internal contamination. The contamination was restricted to the controlled area, at the Institute's Radiopharmacy Center", says the note. Information released by Sindsef-SP shows that the situation would have required emergency radiological decontamination procedures, retention of clothing used by the workers involved, including outsourced workers, and action by the Radiological Protection team to control the situation. “It also appears that part of the decontamination procedures would have taken place in places not specifically intended for this type of service, which raises concerns about the adequacy of the available infrastructure and compliance with the safety protocols required for activities involving radioactive materials”, says a note from the union. Given the potential seriousness of the case, the entity requests the disclosure of official information about the occurrence, including the radioactive material involved, the number of workers potentially affected, the levels of contamination detected, the health risks and the measures adopted by the administration to contain the occurrence. Report of scrapping "This is, unfortunately, not an isolated case. Several other cases and events, not directly linked to contamination by radioactive material, have occurred due to budget cuts, staff reductions and also management deficiencies", says the entity, remembering problems that occurred at the IEA-R1 Reactor, such as the fire in the Control Room, in March this year. Workers' representatives emphasize that they had already been denouncing the dismantling and scrapping of Ipen, in addition to demanding investment in infrastructure, competition, hiring of servers and the definition of a true and sovereign strategy for the Brazilian Nuclear Program. "What we see, on the contrary, is that the last governments, for more than 15 years, have been, gradually and continuously, imposing the ideology of neoliberalism in Brazil. The 'fiscal framework' policy is just the crowning achievement of this process of dismantling the State", adds Sindsef-SP. Another aggravating factor, according to the union, is that employees who work with radioactive materials or substances are having their specific medical examinations delayed by more than a year. USP informed, in a note, that despite being located in the University City, Ipen is an agency linked to the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SCTI) of São Paulo and managed technically and administratively by the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN).