Philosophy
"Washington State nuclear waste tanks 'leaking'"
February 23rd, 2013
BBC NEWS
Six underground storage tanks at a nuclear site in the US state of Washington are leaking, authorities say.
Governor Jay Inslee described the situation at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation as "disturbing news".
But he stressed that there was no current risk to human health.
Nearly 200 ageing containers hold millions of litres of radioactive waste left from decades of plutonium production for nuclear weapons.
"There is no immediate or near-term health risk associated with these newly discovered leaks, which are more than five miles (8km) from the Columbia River," Mr Inslee said in a statement.
"But nonetheless this is disturbing news for all Washingtonians," he added.
Last week, a leak was reported in one of the storage tanks. Officials said it was leaking at a rate of up 300 gallons (1,136 litres) per year.
They said that tests had not detected higher radiation levels near the tanks.
Established as part of the Manhattan Project in 1943, Hanford was home to the world's first full-scale plutonium production facility.
It was part of America's bid to build the world's first nuclear weapon during World War II.
The site produced the plutonium for the bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Production at Hanford continued until 1989.
Under a costly clean-up proposal, the waste will eventually be treated in a special plant. It will then be safely disposed of underground in stainless steel canisters.
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Philosophy
Hanford Nuclear Reservation container tanks leaking...about 300 gallons a year
At a grocery near you soon.
"Washington State nuclear waste tanks 'leaking'"
February 23rd, 2013
BBC NEWS
Six underground storage tanks at a nuclear site in the US state of Washington are leaking, authorities say.
Governor Jay Inslee described the situation at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation as "disturbing news".
But he stressed that there was no current risk to human health.
Nearly 200 ageing containers hold millions of litres of radioactive waste left from decades of plutonium production for nuclear weapons.
"There is no immediate or near-term health risk associated with these newly discovered leaks, which are more than five miles (8km) from the Columbia River," Mr Inslee said in a statement.
"But nonetheless this is disturbing news for all Washingtonians," he added.
Last week, a leak was reported in one of the storage tanks. Officials said it was leaking at a rate of up 300 gallons (1,136 litres) per year.
They said that tests had not detected higher radiation levels near the tanks.
Established as part of the Manhattan Project in 1943, Hanford was home to the world's first full-scale plutonium production facility.
It was part of America's bid to build the world's first nuclear weapon during World War II.
The site produced the plutonium for the bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Production at Hanford continued until 1989.
Under a costly clean-up proposal, the waste will eventually be treated in a special plant. It will then be safely disposed of underground in stainless steel canisters.
- Do You Believe This About Nuclear Power?
From American Nuclear Society... Myth #1: Americans get most of their yearly radiation dose from nuclear power plants. Truth: We are surrounded by naturally occurring radiation. Only 0.005% of the average American's yearly radiation dose comes...
- We Are Running Out Of Plutonium
"NASA’s Plutonium Problem Could End Deep-Space Exploration" by Dave Mosher September 19th, 2013 Wired In 1977, the Voyager 1 spacecraft left Earth on a five-year mission to explore Jupiter and Saturn. Thirty-six years later, the car-size probe is...
- And You Thought The Bp Oil Spill Was Bad
"Analysis Triples U.S. Plutonium Waste Figures" by Matthew L. Wald July 10th, 2010 The New York Times The amount of plutonium buried at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State is nearly three times what the federal government previously...
- Nuclear Waste--long Range Thoughts By Bernd Debusmann
Bernd Debusmann "Nuclear planning to the year 1,002,008" by Bernd Debusmann November 19th, 2008 Reuters Will this barren mountain rising up to 4,950 feet from the Mojave desert look roughly the same in the year 1,002,008? That's a million years into...
- Thorium For Reactors?
Shippingport nuclear power plant The first large-scale nuclear powerplant in the world began operating in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, on December 2, 1957--exactly 15 years after Enrico Fermi demonstrated the first sustained nuclear reaction. The Duquesne...