The depressurization of four flanged tritium waste containers at Los Alamos National Laboratory earlier this year was successful and released lower than expected emissions, officials said at a Tuesday public meeting at the Sala Event Center in Los Alamos.

"The operators paused at the right points, as things like the weather change," said Pat Moss, deputy director of the National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office. "Operations spanned late into the day and sometimes into the night. When they were tired, needed to refresh, or when something unexpected happened, the team addressed the condition and adjusted correctly."

For years, the lab had hoped to relieve the pressure on the four containers, fearing a flammable mix of gases had built up in the headspace, making t

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