article_snippet: Organic kitty litter was partially to blame for a multimillion-dollar radiation leak at an underground .
article_snippet: The US Energy Department report on last year's accident at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad . showed that a drum of waste containing radioisotopes like .
article_snippet: plutonium was improperly packaged at the Los Alamos National .
article_snippet: kitty litter used to absorb liquids, sparked a chemical reaction . causing kitty litter to heat up and generate gases that dislodged kitty litter lid, . spewing radioactive materials, investigators found.
article_snippet: This barrel at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project near Carlsbad, New Mexico, ruptured a year ago, resulting in radioactive contamination that shut down WIPP indefinitely .
article_snippet: Culprit: a drum of waste containing radioisotopes contained 'chemically incompatible' materials, including Swheat Scoop brand of organic kitty litter .
article_snippet: The radiation leak that began in the WIPP disposal chamber .
article_snippet: a detonation,' the 277-page report released Thursday concluded.
article_snippet: the 277-page report released Thursday confirms the agency's preliminary theories about the cause of the costly mishap and also clarified that just one barrel of waste containing 'chemically incompatible' materials - including Swheat Scoop brand litter, nitrate salts and a neutralizing agent - from Los Alamos was to blame.
article_snippet: The improper mix of chemicals sparked a reaction causing The improper mix of chemicals  to heat up and generate gases that dislodged The improper mix of chemicals  lid,spewing radioactive materials .
article_snippet: The drum of waste that caused the leak came from the Los Alamos National Lab (pictured) New Mexico slapped the Energy Department with $54million in . fines in December for violations of state hazardous waste .
article_snippet: Also last year, a team of federal inspectors released a . report that cited chronic lapses in safety procedures at Los .
article_snippet: Alamos that contributed to the leak.
highlights_snippet: A single drum of waste caused accident at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in February 2014 .
  