A uranium-processing plant in Paducah, Ky.,
spread plutonium farther around the facility
than was previously known and even contaminated
ground water in the area, according to newly
released documents.

Maps drawn last summer but not released to
federal investigators reveal that plant
officials had taken hundreds of measurements
over 10 years showing plutonium in soil and
water more than a mile from the plant's
fence. Most disturbing was the discovery of
the highly dangerous metal in dozens of
ground-water tests, which has ominous
implications for local drinking water
supplies.

. . .

It's mind-boggling, said Mark Donham,
chairman of the Paducah plant's local
citizen advisory board. For years they
never wanted to talk to us about what
they found in the water. Obviously this
is why.

The Enquirer

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), October 01, 2000

Answers

Hanford's bottomless N-waste

YAKIMA -- Radioactive tritium contamination
in groundwater may be 400 times higher than
the federal standard at the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation because high-level nuclear waste
was buried in containers that had no bottoms,
the U.S. Department of Energy said yesterday.

. . .

Last January, the high level of tritium
was detected in a Hanford monitoring well,
showing a concentration of more 8 million
picocuries of radiation per 1 liter of water.
The federal drinking water standard is less
than 20,000 picocuries.

. . .

The tritium will likely reach the Columbia
River, said Mike Thompson, DOE's groundwater
manager.

Seattle P-I

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), October 01, 2000.

I pronounce you the winner, Spider, of the Bearer of Bad Tidings contest.

Just think this stuff over. Ugh!

-- Billiver (billiver@aol.com), October 01, 2000.

Bottomless containers?
That's criminal!

-- (perry@ofuzzy1.com), October 01, 2000.