TRI-CITIES (AP) — Three more workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation have reported smelling suspicious odors outside a tank farm.

The Tri-City Herald reports that the workers all declined medical evaluations Thursday, a day after another nine workers reported odors and denied medical checks.

There are now 12 workers so far this month who have reported smelling odors that could be escaping from underground nuclear waste storage tanks. The tanks contain wastes left over from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.

Parties in a lawsuit over employee concerns about exposure to chemical vapors at the nuclear facility are headed to mediation.

Both plaintiffs and defendants in the case have indicated they want to try and pursue a resolution out of court.

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