nuclear-news

Hanford radioactive cleanup $billions over budget

  CBS News: Worry about explosion of unstable radioactive material at U.S. nuclear site — “We don’t understand the chemical reactions” -Safety Manager (VIDEO)  http://enenews.com/cbs-news-worry-about-explosion-at-u-s-nuclear-site-video#Hanford Title: Nuclear waste clean-up delayed and billions over budget

Source: CBS News
Reporter: Carter Evans
Date: June 19, 2013 
h/t Anonymous tip

Little is known about what was put in the tanks and how it’s changed since the 1940s. [Donna Busche, a manager of environmental and nuclear safety at Hanford,]  is worried it’s unstable and an explosion during clean-up could release radioactive material.

Asked how a treatment facility can be built when it’s unclear what is in the tanks, Busche says, “I think that is the fundamental issue. We don’t understand the chemical reactions, but yet we’re building the plant.”

Similar concerns were raised in a review by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative agency. It blamed the Department of Energy for building the plant before the design process was complete. As a result, parts of the facility “may not work and may not meet nuclear safety standards,” the report said.
Watch the broadcast here

June 22, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Resources -audiovicual, USA, wastes