Latest news with #nuclearwaste
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Radioactive wasp nest found at site where US once made nuclear bombs
Columbia, South Carolina (AP) — Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the United States have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near tanks where liquid nuclear waste is stored, according to a report from the US Department of Energy. The nest had a radiation level 10 times what is allowed by federal regulations, officials said. The workers sprayed the nest with insect killer, removed it and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found, officials said. The report said there is no leak from the waste tanks, and the nest was likely radioactive through what it called 'onsite legacy radioactive contamination' from the residual radioactivity left from when the site was fully operational. The watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch said the report was at best incomplete since it doesn't detail where the contamination came from, how the wasps might have encountered it and the possibility there could be another radioactive nest if there is a leak somewhere. Knowing the type of wasp nest could also be critical — some wasps make nest out of dirt and others use different material which could pinpoint where the contamination came from, Tom Clements, executive director of the group, wrote in a text message. '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,' Clements said. The tank farm is well inside the boundaries of the site and wasps generally fly just a few hundred yards from their nests, so there is no danger they are outside the facility, according to a statement from Savannah River Mission Completion which now oversees the site. If there had been wasps found, they would have significantly lower levels of radiation than their nests, according to the statement which was given to the Aiken Standard. The site was opened in the early 1950s to manufacture the plutonium pits needed to make the core of nuclear bombs during the start of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Now the site has shifted toward making fuel for nuclear plants and clean up. The site generated more than 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of liquid nuclear waste which has, through evaporation, been reduced to about 34 million gallons (129 million liters), according to Savannah River Mission Completion. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use while eight have been closed.
CNN
7 hours ago
- Science
- CNN
Radioactive wasp nest found at site where US once made nuclear bombs
Columbia, South Carolina (AP) — Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the United States have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near tanks where liquid nuclear waste is stored, according to a report from the US Department of Energy. The nest had a radiation level 10 times what is allowed by federal regulations, officials said. The workers sprayed the nest with insect killer, removed it and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found, officials said. The report said there is no leak from the waste tanks, and the nest was likely radioactive through what it called 'onsite legacy radioactive contamination' from the residual radioactivity left from when the site was fully operational. The watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch said the report was at best incomplete since it doesn't detail where the contamination came from, how the wasps might have encountered it and the possibility there could be another radioactive nest if there is a leak somewhere. Knowing the type of wasp nest could also be critical — some wasps make nest out of dirt and others use different material which could pinpoint where the contamination came from, Tom Clements, executive director of the group, wrote in a text message. '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,' Clements said. The tank farm is well inside the boundaries of the site and wasps generally fly just a few hundred yards from their nests, so there is no danger they are outside the facility, according to a statement from Savannah River Mission Completion which now oversees the site. If there had been wasps found, they would have significantly lower levels of radiation than their nests, according to the statement which was given to the Aiken Standard. The site was opened in the early 1950s to manufacture the plutonium pits needed to make the core of nuclear bombs during the start of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Now the site has shifted toward making fuel for nuclear plants and clean up. The site generated more than 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of liquid nuclear waste which has, through evaporation, been reduced to about 34 million gallons (129 million liters), according to Savannah River Mission Completion. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use while eight have been closed.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Radioactive wasp nest found at former US nuclear bomb site
A radioactive wasp nest, found at a former nuclear bomb component manufacturing site in South Carolina, has prompted official assurances of no public danger, despite a watchdog organisation expressing significant concern over the lack of detailed explanation. Employees routinely checking radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken discovered the nest on 3 July on a post close to tanks storing liquid nuclear waste. The nest registered radiation levels ten times higher than permitted by federal regulations. Workers promptly sprayed the nest with insecticide, removed it, and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found within the nest. According to a report from the US Department of Energy, there is no leak from the waste tanks. Officials suggested the nest's radioactivity likely stemmed from "onsite legacy radioactive contamination" – residual radioactivity from when the site was fully operational. However, the campaign group Savannah River Site Watch criticised the report as "at best incomplete". The group highlighted that it failed to detail the contamination's origin, how the wasps might have encountered it, or the potential for other radioactive nests if a leak exists. Tom Clements, the group's executive director, noted that knowing the wasp species could be crucial, as some build nests from dirt while others use different materials, potentially pinpointing the contamination source. Mr Clements stated: "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." Savannah River Mission Completion, which now oversees the site, issued a statement to the Aiken Standard newspaper, reassuring the public that there is no danger outside the facility. They explained that the tank farm is well within the site boundaries, and wasps typically fly only a few hundred yards from their nests. The statement also added that any wasps found would have significantly lower radiation levels than their nests. The Savannah River Site, established in the early 1950s, was originally tasked with manufacturing plutonium pits for nuclear bombs during the Cold War. It has since transitioned to producing fuel for nuclear plants and undertaking clean-up operations. The site initially generated over 625 million litres of liquid nuclear waste, which has been reduced through evaporation to approximately 129 million litres. Currently, 43 of the underground tanks remain in use, with eight having been closed.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Science
- The Independent
Radioactive wasp nest found at former US nuclear bomb site
A radioactive wasp nest, found at a former nuclear bomb component manufacturing site in South Carolina, has prompted official assurances of no public danger, despite a watchdog organisation expressing significant concern over the lack of detailed explanation. Employees routinely checking radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken discovered the nest on 3 July on a post close to tanks storing liquid nuclear waste. The nest registered radiation levels ten times higher than permitted by federal regulations. Workers promptly sprayed the nest with insecticide, removed it, and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found within the nest. According to a report from the US Department of Energy, there is no leak from the waste tanks. Officials suggested the nest's radioactivity likely stemmed from "onsite legacy radioactive contamination" – residual radioactivity from when the site was fully operational. However, the campaign group Savannah River Site Watch criticised the report as "at best incomplete". The group highlighted that it failed to detail the contamination's origin, how the wasps might have encountered it, or the potential for other radioactive nests if a leak exists. Tom Clements, the group's executive director, noted that knowing the wasp species could be crucial, as some build nests from dirt while others use different materials, potentially pinpointing the contamination source. Mr Clements stated: "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." Savannah River Mission Completion, which now oversees the site, issued a statement to the Aiken Standard newspaper, reassuring the public that there is no danger outside the facility. They explained that the tank farm is well within the site boundaries, and wasps typically fly only a few hundred yards from their nests. The statement also added that any wasps found would have significantly lower radiation levels than their nests. The Savannah River Site, established in the early 1950s, was originally tasked with manufacturing plutonium pits for nuclear bombs during the Cold War. It has since transitioned to producing fuel for nuclear plants and undertaking clean-up operations. The site initially generated over 625 million litres of liquid nuclear waste, which has been reduced through evaporation to approximately 129 million litres. Currently, 43 of the underground tanks remain in use, with eight having been closed.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Radioactive wasp nest found at site where US once made nuclear bombs
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the U.S. have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near tanks where liquid nuclear waste is stored, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy. The nest had a radiation level 10 times what is allowed by federal regulations, officials said. The workers sprayed the nest with insect killer, removed it and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found, officials said. The report said there is no leak from the waste tanks, and the nest was likely radioactive through what it called 'onsite legacy radioactive contamination' from the residual radioactivity left from when the site was fully operational. The watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch said the report was at best incomplete since it doesn't detail where the contamination came from, how the wasps might have encountered it and the possibility there could be another radioactive nest if there is a leak somewhere. Knowing the type of wasp nest could also be critical — some wasps make nest out of dirt and others use different material which could pinpoint where the contamination came from, Tom Clements, executive director of the group, wrote in a text message. '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,' Clements said. The tank farm is well inside the boundaries of the site and wasps generally fly just a few hundred yards from their nests, so there is no danger they are outside the facility, according to a statement from Savannah River Mission Completion which now oversees the site. If there had been wasps found, they would have significantly lower levels of radiation than their nests, according to the statement which was given to the Aiken Standard. The site was opened in the early 1950s to manufacture the plutonium pits needed to make the core of nuclear bombs during the start of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Now the site has shifted toward making fuel for nuclear plants and clean up. The site generated more than 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of liquid nuclear waste which has, through evaporation, been reduced to about 34 million gallons (129 million liters), according to Savannah River Mission Completion. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use while eight have been closed.
