Radioactive Wasp Nest Found in Decommissioned Nuclear Weapons Plant
On July 3, employees conducting a regular checkup of radiation levels at the Savannah River Site (SRS)—a former nuclear weapons production facility dating back to the 1950s—found themselves staring down at something that probably should not have been there. That something was a wasp nest measuring more than 10 times the federally permitted radiation limit.
Nearly three weeks after this bizarre discovery, Department of Energy (DOE) officials published a report on the incident, in which they assured local residents that no new leaks had been found in the waste tanks. Rather, the nest likely became radioactive from leftover contamination dating back to when the site was fully operational. As per procedure, the workers sprayed the nest with insecticide and bagged it—along with the dead bees—as radioactive waste, according to the report.
'The delay in reporting was to allow time for reviewing previous wildlife contamination for consistency in reporting criteria,' officials said. 'No further action was required in the field. There is no impact from [the] event on other activities and operations.'
The SRS was built in the early 1950s to produce tritium and plutonium-239 for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Close to the turn of the century, the U.S. government transitioned the plant from a weapons manufacturer to a producer of fuel for nuclear plants, in addition to cleaning up decommissioned structures.
Overall, DOE and its contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), which manages the site, concluded that the incident, while understandably unsettling, shouldn't be of significant concern to the public
'Upon discovery of the contaminated nest, the immediate area was secured and surveyed; no contamination was found in the area,' SRMC told the Aiken Standard. 'There were no impacts to workers, the environment, or the public.'
The company also said that further surveys of the nest revealed there weren't any wasps left on the nest, adding that even if there were, the individual insects 'would have significantly lower levels of contamination.'
Watchdogs of the site aren't so impressed by the official explanations. Savannah River Site Watch criticized the report for being incomplete, failing to address where the contamination came from, how the wasps encountered the radiation, and, most importantly, whether a yet-uncovered leak could have left another radioactive wasp nest in the vicinity.
'I'm as mad as a hornet that SRS didn't explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,' Tom Clements, executive director of Savannah River Watch, told CBS News.
Identifying the type of wasp nest could have revealed the source of the contamination, Clements said, since some wasps build nests from dirt while others use materials that can point to specific locations. It's unclear, however, whether this apparent lack of effort reflects ignorance or negligence on the part of the officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Researchers Discovered Two Basic Habits That Can Prevent Alzheimer's, And My Aging Millennial Brain Is Paying Attention
Can delaying a disease as monstrous as Alzheimer's be as simple as walking and eating nutritious foods? To some degree, yes. A June 2025 study in Molecular Neurodegeneration assessed this topic and concluded that 'up to 45% of dementia risk can be attributed to modifiable risk factors,' namely exercise and diet. What happens, the study explained, is that those two habits boost BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. BDNF is a protein that aids neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt, learn and remember. HuffPost spoke to a doctor about the study's findings, and he said they make sense. Related: 'Walking and diet are two of the simplest ways we know to boost BDNF, a key protein that helps brain cells grow, repair and communicate,' said Dr. Alexander Zubkov, a neurologist and board advisory member of 1MD Nutrition who specializes in neurodegenerative disorders and functional medicine. 'Higher BDNF levels are strongly linked to better memory and slower cognitive decline.' The opposite holds, too: A decrease in BDNF is often seen in people who have neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's, according to a 2015 study in Archives of Medical Science. But what does 'delaying Alzheimer's' even mean in this case? And how much walking and which foods are most helpful? Ahead, we'll answer those questions and more with insights from the study and Zubkov. What does 'delaying Alzheimer's' even mean? Related: Is 'delaying Alzheimer's' the same as preventing dementia diseases completely, or can it only be applied to people who are currently or about to develop the condition? 'When we talk about 'delaying Alzheimer's,' we're not talking about preventing the disease entirely,' Zubkov said. 'We're talking about slowing how quickly the symptoms appear or progress.' For someone who's starting to experience early changes in their brain, he continued, that could mean a few extra years of clear thinking and independence. That's significant. How does walking generate BDNF? Related: As mentioned, walking is a crucial way to increase BDNF expression. A 2025 study in Brain Sciences reported that walking, particularly at moderate to high intensities, increases BDNF levels, especially right after the exercise. It also found that walking increased BDNF by 11%. But how does that happen? 'Something as basic as a brisk daily walk increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which naturally stimulates BDNF release,' Zubkov explained. How much should you walk a day to delay Alzheimer's? Zubkov said there's no 'one magic number' of steps, but he's seen research consistently assert a certain range. 'Most data points to about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day as a realistic sweet spot for brain and heart health,' he said. That's roughly three to four miles, or an hour to a little over an hour, of walking. The pace matters, too. He encouraged aiming for a brisk pace — aka, fast enough that you can talk, but not sing — for maximum benefits. Additionally, the study found positive results with both acute and long-term exercise. So, try to keep your exercise consistent, but don't give up if you skip a few days. Every walking session counts. What foods can help delay Alzheimer's disease? Related: Nutrition is another key piece, though perhaps not as key as walking. According to the original study mentioned, researchers need more and consistent information on the most beneficial dietary factors and how different foods affect different biomarkers (the latter includes certain proteins, blood pressure and tumors, for example). Additionally, it's important to note that most current research looks at a combination of factors, not diet alone. 'Pairing [walking] with nutrient-rich foods … gives the brain the building blocks it needs to stay resilient,' Zubkov said. With that said, knowledge about brain-healthy foods does exist. The study found positive results with the MIND-diet, or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It's a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) antihypertensive diet. The MIND-diet includes whole grains; dark, leafy, green vegetables; nuts; olive oil; berries; and even red wine, among other foods and beverages. Zubkov recommended a few key nutrients: omega-3s, antioxidants and polyphenols. More specifically, he encouraged people to eat fatty fish, walnuts, leafy greens and berries, and to drink green tea. Are there other ways to generate BDNF? The other tips Zubkov shared are the typical self-care recommendations you've heard from your doctor: aerobic exercise, resistance training, quality sleep, and stress reduction. Here's a glimpse into what each of those can look like: Aerobic exercise: dancing, swimming, the elliptical, cycling, running Resistance training: push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, using free weights Quality sleep: around six to eight hours, and not 'junk sleep,' aka too little or not solid sleep Stress reduction: deep breathing, talking to friends, meditation, listening to music He added that some early research is looking at peptides, or building blocks of proteins, such as Semax, Selank, and Dihexa, when it comes to influencing BDNF. But beware: 'These are still experimental and should only be used under medical supervision,' Zubkov clarified. Let's keep it simple: If you want to delay Alzheimer's onset, focus on walking and adding nutritious foods, such as walnuts, whole grains and dark green vegetables, into your diet. As both studies and doctors will tell you, these daily habits have a significant impact on your article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful:
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Even Low Lead Exposure Can Impair Academic Outcomes in Kids
TOPLINE: Every 1-unit increase in blood lead levels in early childhood — even when below the 'safe' threshold of 3.5 µg/dL — was associated with declines in math and reading scores from grades 2 through 11, similar to those seen at higher lead levels. METHODOLOGY: Researchers used the 2021 US CDC's revision of the blood lead reference value to ≥ 3.5 μg/dL. They analyzed data from birth certificates of children born in Iowa from 1989 to 2010, academic test scores from grades 2 through 11, and blood lead testing data from 1990 to 2017. The analysis included 305,256 children (mean age at lead testing, 1.9 years; 49% girls) and nearly 1.8 million math and reading scores to calculate the national percentile rank (NPR). Primary outcomes included NPR scores across grades 2 through 11, comparing children with blood lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL with those at or above this threshold. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 37.7% of children had lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL. Among children with blood lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL, a 1-unit increase was associated with lower NPR scores in math (-0.47; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.30) and in reading (-0.38; 95% CI, -0.56 to -0.20). Similarly, for lead levels at ≥ 3.5 μg/dL, every 1-unit increase was linked to a significant decline in NPR scores for math and reading. The trend of declining scores with increasing lead levels was persistent across grades 2 through 11; only the declines in reading scores for grades 10 and 11 were not statistically significant. IN PRACTICE: 'The present work provides further evidence to support that there are no safe levels of lead and that there is a need to continue to reduce or eliminate lead exposure,' the authors of the study wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by George L. Wehby, MPH, PhD, of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. It was published online on May 28, 2025, in JAMA Network Open. LIMITATIONS: Several laboratories used the old 5 μg/dL cutoff to quantify high lead levels. Researchers lacked data on any lead-related interventions the children may have received. DISCLOSURES: Wehby reported receiving grants from the Gates Foundation during the conduct of this study. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
NASA announces retirement of veteran astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 years of service
NASA has announced the retirement of test pilot and astronaut Butch Wilmore after 25 successful years of service and flights aboard four different spacecraft. Wilmore, a veteran pilot and graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, has logged 464 days in space since his selection by NASA in 2000. The decorated U.S. Navy Capt. has flown on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2009, Roscosmos Soyuz in 2014, Boeing Starliner in 2024, and returned to Earth aboard SpaceX Dragon most recently. He also completed five spacewalks for a total of 32 hours outside the International Space Station. "Butch's commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary," said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations. On behalf of NASA's Johnson Space Center, we thank Butch for his service." Wilmore has been recognized as not only technically gifted but also an adaptable astronaut whose legacy spans decades of advancing human spaceflight across many missions. He was one of the few astronauts that flew aboard both NASA's legacy and commercial vehicles which helped validate critical systems for long-term human spaceflight. "Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut. His mastery of complex systems, coupled with his adaptability and steadfast commitment to NASA's mission, has inspired us all," said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. "As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next." Wilmore's most recent launch aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, marked the first crewed flight test mission. During the mission, they were able to help remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and collect samples for analysis from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock. "From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey," said Wilmore. "Even as I ventured beyond Earth's limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home." Wilmore's retirement signals the end of NASA's pioneering era of cross-platform astronaut missions and early commercial spaceflight validation.
