Contaminated US site faces 'catastrophic' nuclear leak

[nabraxas]

14 July 2008

ONE of "the most contaminated places on Earth" will only get dirtier if the US government doesn't get its act together - clean-up plans are already 19 years behind schedule and not due for completion until 2050.

More than 210 million litres of radioactive and chemical waste are stored in 177 underground tanks at Hanford in Washington State. Most are over 50 years old. Already 67 of the tanks have failed, leaking almost 4 million litres of waste into the ground.

There are now "serious questions about the tanks' long-term viability," says a Government Accountability Office report, which strongly criticises the US Department of Energy for delaying an $8 billion programme to empty the tanks and treat the waste. The DoE says the clean-up is "technically challenging" and argues that it is making progress in such a way as to protect human health and the environment.

The DoE's plan, however, is "faith-based", says Robert Alvarez, an authority on Hanford at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC. "The risk of catastrophic tank failure will sharply increase as each year goes by," he says, "and one of the nation's largest rivers, the Columbia, will be in jeopardy."

http://environment.newscientist.com/articl...clear-leak.html

[Auxin]

Thats my home!

The million+ gallons of leaked waste is only the beginning, that doesnt include the waste they intentionally dumped in open air trenches and reverse pumped down wells. The brunt of the spilled/dumped waste here is sub-surface but not all of it, when the yearly wildfires sweep the contamination zones the background radiation level goes up cause of the radioactive sagebrush burning.

All that sub-surface waste is on a gradual flow to the columbia, the columbia (americas second largest river) empties out to the pacific and the waters from it circulate around the pacific and get to the east coast of australia, in 20 years you guys will be able to measure the increased radiation levels on your beaches

Its not all bad tho, the local salmon might have a few spare eyes but boy its tasty!

Heres them waters starting their journey to the east coast of australia where you may recognize their arrival by the spike in juvenile leukemia, innit pretty

Also, right south of here is the local chemical weapon depot, I hope they dont start leaking. They measure their chemical weapons by the thousands of tons- enough is in inventory to kill every human being alive a minimum of 1000 times over.

...have I mentioned lately that you guys are free to boycott american goods?

Edited July 17, 2008 by Auxin

[apothecary]

Farkn.

[Teotzlcoatl]

Good bless the U.S.A.!!!

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttt!!!! AHAHAHAHahahahaha!!!

Lately I've been so goddam sick of this bullshit culture I live in...

Edited July 18, 2008 by Teotz'

[ThunderIdeal]

the USA. somewhat responsible for such revolutions as "the green revolution".

[Auxin]

"The green revolution" was designed and initiated by the mexican government and next spread to places like india. The US attempts at establishing some green revolution principles and practices were rapidly perverted by agribusiness as sources for patentable genes and clones and PVP (essentially copywrighted) plant varieties and testing grounds for their fertilizer and pesticide greedy patented products. Advances like horizontal breeding for disease resistance and reduced fertilizer/pesticide use are blockaded and there is increasing talk of halting non-corporate access to the covernment food crop germplasm repositories.

[Alkron]

And to think we're concerned with the threat of places like Iran gaining nuclear energy when the real threat is our goddamn big brother the United States. Friendly fire, Nice one.

[ThunderIdeal]

as i understand, the US actually had an early, devastating lesson regarding the green revolution (for those who don't know, it's a term for the advent of modern farming and hugely increased yields). around WWII era much of their soil blew away creating a big dust bowl. the president of the time began this enormous national effort to save the soil, an excellent decision on his part. they built enormous swales, which are basically a long trench with a mound on the side of lower elevation (or maybe the mound faces away from the wind in a scenario like this???), logic being that water moves slower, absorbs better, and organic and soil particles get captured. comments auxin? in that case the government saw an opportunity to prevent future disaster, and the results are obvious today.