nuclear-news

Toxic thorium wastes linger after 40 years: cleanup unaffordable

40 years later, toxic waste still haunts pockets of DuPage County Thorium cleanup nears finish line, but federal funds are in doubt January 21, 2012|By Erin Meyer, Chicago Tribune reporter  Lurking beneath the surface of the West Branch of the DuPage River are the remnants of radioactive contamination left behind by a
factory that was shuttered almost four decades ago.

The Rare Earths Facility in West Chicago not only was a major employer in its heyday, but also became the site of a large mound of discarded radioactive waste that locals called Mount Thorium.  The notorious impact the radiation from the factory had on the area eventually led to lengthy cleanups that have cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The final phases of efforts to remediate the waste from Rare Earths are in sight, but officials say funding sources they have relied on in the past have dried up or are becoming increasingly uncertain due to changing priorities and congressional squabbling.

About $21 million is needed for work scheduled this year on the West Branch of the DuPage River and an adjacent creek, officials say. But more than a third of that is still up in the air….. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-21/news/ct-met-superfund-cleanup-20120118_1_thorium-cleanup-kress-creek-radioactive-waste

September 10, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | RARE EARTHS, Uranium