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A second double-shell tank leaking radiation at Hanford?

Signs emerge of a second double-shell tank leaking at Hanford , Susannah Frame, KING 5.com  27 Apr 16, Radioactive particles have been measured at elevated levels for the first time in the outer safety space of the Hanford double-shell tank known as AY-101. The contractor that manages the tank told employees “we recently discovered higher-than-expected radioactivity readings” from filters that are part of the tank’s continuous air monitor (CAM).

“The filter contained traces of radioactive americium, cesium and plutonium, raising the possibility that the material is from tank waste that has escaped from the primary shell of the double-shell tank,” wrote Rob Gregory, chief operating officer of Washington River Protection Solutions.

Sources tell KING 5 that alarms went off last week to alert staff of the presence of “hot” (radioactive) particles trapped in filters of the tank’s continuous air monitor (CAM). The sources say this is the first time readings of this sort have been detected in AY-101.

The U.S. Department of Energy confirmed to the state that radioactive particles had been detected by filters circulating air from inside AY-101, according to officials with the Washington Department of Ecology.

But DOE’s Office of River Protection, which oversees the tank farms at Hanford, said no alarms went off indicating radioactive particles had been detected………

The citizen watchdog group Hanford Challenge also said sources of its own confirmed the detection of elevated radiation levels outside the primary liner of AY-101. The group’s sources say the by-products confirmed include Cesium-137, plutonium, and a high-beta emitter (most likely Strontium-90) that are all constituents commonly found in Hanford’s underground tanks.

The executive director of Hanford Challenge, Tom Carpenter, said this recent event has “serious implications” for the Hanford Site.

“Simply put, Hanford is nearly out of double-shell tank space, especially after pumping out AY-102 and emptying some of the shakier single-shell tanks…This is no other realistic option but to begin building new tanks immediately,” said Carpenter.

Elevated radiation and radioactive materials found in the CAM filters was the first indication that AY-102 was leaking. This was a red flag for the Department of Energy (DOE), which owns Hanford, 15 years before confirmation of the leak. Those high CAM filter readings in the 1990s were dismissed by DOE and its contractors at the time……..http://www.king5.com/mb/news/local/investigations/signs-emerge-of-a-second-double-shell-tank-leaking-at-hanford/154338445

April 29, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes