Latest news with #SavannahRiverMissionCompletion
Fox News
02-08-2025
- General
- Fox News
Radioactive wasp nest discovered by workers at former nuclear bomb site
Officials at a former nuclear bomb site in South Carolina have discovered a radioactive wasp nest. Workers were conducting a routine radiation level check at the Savannah River Site near Aiken when a nest was identified with liquid nuclear waste tanks, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The U.S. Department of Energy filed a report on July 22 stating the nest had 10 times the radiation level that is permitted by federal regulations. Officials said no wasps were found at the nest. "The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste," the report said. "The ground and surround[ing] area did not have any contamination." It is believed the nest became radioactive through "onsite legacy radioactive contamination" from activity left when the site was fully operational. The site now makes fuel for nuclear plants and cleanup, AP reported. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use, while eight have been closed. A watchdog group, Savannah River Site Watch, called out the report, saying it lacked details about the source of the contamination and how the wasps encountered it, according to AP. Tom Clements, Savannah River Site Watch executive director, slammed the report in text messages obtained by AP. "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 wrote, as AP reported. The Savannah River Mission Completion monitors the site and provided a statement to the Aiken Standard, a local news outlet. "Upon discovery of the contaminated nest, the immediate area was secured and surveyed; no contamination was found in the area," the statement noted. "I'm as mad as a hornet [about this]." "There were no impacts to workers, the environment or the public." The nest was found in F Tank Farm area, which is "centrally located inside the 310-square-mile Savannah River Site. Generally, wasps travel only a few hundred yards from their nest," it continued. In 1950, President Harry Truman announced that the United States would accelerate the atomic energy program; the plant opened during the start of the Cold War. The plant was in charge of producing "basic materials" in support of American defense programs, primarily tritium and plutonium-239, according to the Savannah River Site. It has produced over 165 million gallons of liquid nuclear waste, reducing it through evaporation to about 34 million gallons, according to Savannah River Mission Completion. Of the remaining 43 tanks, eight have closed. Regarding the radioactive wasp nest, three additional nests have since been discovered at the site, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The Savannah River Site occupies some 310 square miles in the sandhills of South Carolina, near the Georgia border.
Time of India
02-08-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Radioactive wasp nest discovered in US: Routine check findings at Cold War-era nuclear facility; radiation levels 10 times above limit
AP file photo Workers at a former US nuclear weapons facility in South Carolina have uncovered a radioactive wasp nest emitting radiation levels ten times higher than regulatory limits, reports the BBC. Routine radiation checks at the Savannah River site near Aiken discovered a wasp nest early July, positioned on a post near tanks storing liquid nuclear waste. "The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste," according to a US Department of Energy report released last week. Officials said that no wasps were found at the site near Aiken, South Carolina. They confirmed that the waste tanks are not leaking, and currently, there are no wasps present at the site. "No contamination was found in the area," the report confirmed. "There were no impacts to workers, the environment or the public," Investigators believe the dangerously high radiation levels found on the nest are the result of "onsite legacy radioactive contamination", residual radiation left behind from the site's Cold War-era operations, when it was actively involved in producing components for nuclear weapons, reports the BBC. While the nest showed high radiation levels, the wasps that once occupied it would have carried significantly lower levels of radiation, the report said. The report says that wasps usually don't travel far from their nest—just a few hundred feet. Since the nest was found inside the 310-square-mile facility, it's unlikely that the wasps flew outside the site. The Savannah River site originally began operations in the 1950s and produced plutonium for nuclear bomb cores. The site remains active to this day focusing on nuclear materials for power generation. The site originally produced over 625 million liters of liquid nuclear waste, which has since been reduced to approximately 29 million liters through evaporation. Currently, 43 underground tanks remain in use, while eight have been closed, as per the Savannah River Mission Completion.
NBC News
01-08-2025
- General
- NBC News
Radioactive wasp nest found at site where U.S. once made nuclear bombs
COLUMBIA, S.C. — 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 most 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 cleanup. The site generated more than 165 million gallons of liquid nuclear waste which has, through evaporation, been reduced to about 34 million gallons, according to Savannah River Mission Completion. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use while eight have been closed.
Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Radioactive wasps nest uncovered at nuclear site used to make Cold War bombs
Workers have found a radioactive wasps nest at the Savannah River Site, in South Carolina, at a location near tanks where liquid nuclear waste is stored, said US officials A radioactive wasp nest has been found by workers at a nuclear facility that made key parts for bombs. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, in South Carolina, found a wasps 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. And the nest had a radiation level 10 times what is allowed by federal regulations, officials in the US said. The workers sprayed the nest with insect killer, removed it and disposed of it as radioactive waste. No wasps were found, officials said. It comes after a doctor's warning to people who drink even a 'single cup of tea'. 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,' Mr 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.
Irish Independent
01-08-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Radioactive wasps' nest found at nuclear site – but officials insist it poses ‘no danger'
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, insisting that there is no danger to anyone. 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 earth 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 625 million litres of liquid nuclear waste which has, through evaporation, been reduced to about 129 million litres, according to Savannah River Mission Completion. There are still 43 of the underground tanks in use while eight have been closed.
