U.S. Nuclear Cleanup Carries Major Risks

Roland Piquepaille writes "New Scientist reports in this pretty alarming article that there is a 50-50 chance of a major radiation or chemical accident during the cleanup of the dirtiest nuclear site in the U.S. There are indeed lots of things to clean at the Hanford complex in Washington state: 67 tons of plutonium and 190 million liters of liquid radioactive waste stored in underground tanks. A third of them, dating from the Cold War, have already leaked 4 million liters in the environment, contaminating the groundwater and a river. Meanwhile, officials at the DOE, who'll spend $50 billion between now and 2035 on this cleanup, seem less worried than the different specialists interviewed by New Scientist. Please read this overview for selected quotes from the article and from the Hanford site. You'll also find a slide from the DOE showing the timeframe for the cleanup."

Comments

Hanford clean up is easier said than done

[HangingChad]

In at least one tank out there they tried something that was supposed to harden the sludge, but it started giving off hydrogen gas. Now the tank has a layer of hardened sludge that burps hydrogen every so often.

All but one of the canyon facilities has been closed up and sealed but there are still a lot of enriched fuel rods that need to be processed. Some of them have been in the tanks so long they're decaying and becoming dangerous to handle. If something isn't done about them there will be a problem, guaranteed. Just like the tanks. The longer they sit there, the more they leak. Get on with it already.

Hanford and the Tri-Cities is really a beautiful area. They have hydroplane races on the Columbia every summer, beautiful river side parks and the rural areas near the river are lush farm land. Several very nice wineries are located not far away and there are great places to hike, climb, windsurf and bike all within a short distance.

Adjusted for age the cancer rate in that area is a bit lower than the national average. Probably more related to the great summer weather and opportunities for exercise than the activities at the engineering works.

The one down side are the straight line winds that kick up from time to time. They used to call them termination winds because the next day so many people would come in and quit. They will scour the paint right off your car if you're unlucky enough to be out driving.

Yes, there are clean up issues that need to be addressed at Hanford, but don't let that color your perception of the entire area. It's really very nice.

Re:DO the submitters actually read the articles?

[drinkypoo]

It would be nice if when you put someone on your foes list, as I have done with roland, stories submitted by them wouldn't come up on the front page any more. Then this kind of crap would be a non-issue.