Wash. tank may be leaking deadly radioactive waste

Wash. tank may be leaking deadly radioactive waste

news.msn.com

Radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the nation's most contaminated nuclear site, may be leaking into groundwater, officials said Friday....

State and federal officials have long said leaking tanks at Hanford do not pose an immediate threat to the environment or public health...

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No, this isn't happening in the capital; lest some people start gloating

Its going to the groundwater but there's no immediate threat to the environment?

I hope trees don't get to the groundwater so that animals and insects can safely eat them.

I just really hope they put up unambiguous signs for people to stay away a good distance there.

You know, for the hikers, campers, and hunters.

I wouldn't willingly be drinking or eating anything from that area that's for sure.

Part of the Manhattan Project, it made weapons grade plutonium for US' nukes and the contents of the tanks are not entirely known.

Do they mean "classified?"

The people in charge of the treatment plant claim they don't know what they're specifically dealing with.

Well, thanks to the entertainment industry, we can optimistically hope we develop "x-men" abilities out of all the nuclear hazards we face today

BUT In reality, all I can comment about this is, "wtf?"

news.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

oh, yeah its cost the country $13.4 BILLION to manage this nuclear issue.

I guess it was worth it

reply to post by reject

oh, yeah its cost the country $13.4 BILLION to manage this nuclear issue.

Manage? They have not Managed anything. They may have wasted $13.4 BILLION, nothing has changed here in all the years it has been there. Situation normal, everything leaks!

P

Leaking radioactive waste 'long been said to be no immediate danger to environment or public health'...is a contradiction in terms.

How can something that has been said for a long time, ever be immediate?

If radioactive waste is indeed leaking into the water table and contaminating water and crops in the Capital, this would explain some of the more insane ideas and actions the politicos make.

The radiation is obviously slowly driving them bonkers...can you impeach on medical grounds i wonder?

Okay, I'm confused.
This title seems a little misleading as there has been leakage for months at least....and I blame the source......as that is what they are putting out there.

I see this newest development in this ecodisaster is because the stop-gap measure are now failing

AY-102 is one of Hanford's 28 tanks with two walls, which were installed years ago when single-shell tanks began leaking. Some of the worst liquid in those tanks was pumped into the sturdier double-shell tanks.

It just sounds worse and worse

Mike Geffre, an instrument technician who works for contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, said Thursday's inspection came from a pit under the tank, like a saucer under a teacup. Water samples from the pit had an 800,000-count of radioactivity and a high dose rate, which means that workers must reduce their time in the area.

....... "Plus, the amount of material we've seen from the leak is very small, which means it's a very strong radioactive isotope."

But, the toxic stuff has been leaking for some time elsewhere at Banford:

Feb 2013 Hanford, WA: Monunental Cleanup at Hanford Nuclear Waste Site
April 2013 The Green Run: Hanford has been intentionally poisoning us for decades
Feb 2013 Radioactive Leaks Detected in the State of Washington
Feb 2013 Tank at Hanford [WA state] Leaking Radioactive Liquid
April 2013 Most hazardous material on planet leaking at U.S. nuclear site, worker brought to tears over leaking

Lets face it, the crap that is down there is highly dangerous, and worse, remains unidentified in any specific manner. If the identity of the particular radioactive chemicals that are being dealt with, was made widely available, then of course that would carry risks of its own, but it would mean that various organisations and individuals could be bought in to consider the problem.

There was a discovery made by a woman scientist not too long back, of a substance/process which transforms radioactive uranium into an intert form. I cannot remember the website, and I cannot find it with google either, but either way, I think telling the people what is under there might yeild some results.

Originally posted by pheonix358
reply to post by reject

 

oh, yeah its cost the country $13.4 BILLION to manage this nuclear issue.

Manage? They have not Managed anything. They may have wasted $13.4 BILLION, nothing has changed here in all the years it has been there. Situation normal, everything leaks!

P

*13.4 billion for something these people never wanted in the first place.I can't believe people even bother voting anymore as neither party gives a damn about you except to fleece you of your last dime.Then you can die as far as your representives in Washington are concerned.

reply to post by reject


$13.4 BILLION[/COLOR],actually, is only the cost of the treatment and storage facility for the Hanford nuke waste and that could still go up. my fault

the current total expenses incurred is in the the neighborhood of $40 BILLION[/COLOR] and rising...estimated to cost $115 BILLION MORE[/COLOR].

Its the quintessential gift that just keeps on giving...whether you like it or not

No wonder we can't afford universal healthcare. Because we're too busy planning to kill other people

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe

 

Little is known about what was put in the tanks and how it's changed since the 1940s. Busche is worried it's unstable and an explosion during clean-up could release radioactive material.

Asked how a treatment facility can be built when it's unclear what is in the tanks, Busche says, "I think that is the fundamental issue. We don't understand the chemical reactions, but yet we're building the plant."

imvho, if something is causing a catastrophe like this, there should be full disclosure on everything connected to it; this means including the MANHATTAN PROJECT.

This should supersede the Nat'l security trump card.

edit on 23-6-2013 by reject because: mea culpa

edit on 23-6-2013 by reject because: clarification $13.4 billion

I have worked in the past in oil refineries, power plants, and nuc plants, and you should see the condition of some of these places...... it's mind boggling how scary some of it is. Pipes with rust ready to crack, leaks, fumes, etc.

Nuc plant were originally commissioned for 25-30 year life spans, and some are now at twice that age

Yup and people wondered why I moved OUT of the area...

reply to post by dominicus


yeah, Hanford is the same way...

The tanks are now beyond their intended life span.

reply to post by reject


This has been discussed here before, and the issues boil down to negligence. Paired with the stupidity of man to think they are capable of using nuclear power and disposing of the waste properly.


This has obviously been going on for years, and the advancements in tech to get stories like this leaked and out in the open are the only reason anyone is even hearing about it. Otherwise, it would be kept hush-hush and left to get much worse.


Look across the US, people/businesses would rather sit around and put band aides on a problem, instead of being proactive and searching for and/or utilizing solutions. "Let the next guy worry about it." YEAH, that only works for so long...especially when people, animal, and the environment start dying.