radioactive waste

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We Got Atomic Bombs. St. Louis Paid a Price

A joint investigation finds health risks, spills to the St. Louis area were ignored

(Newser) - The federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area in the mid-20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants, and other problems—but often ignored them, finds an investigation done in collaboration by the AP , the...

Alarming Report in Mo.: 'I Wouldn't Want My Child in This School'
Alarming Discovery
at Mo. School 'Takes
Your Breath From You'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Alarming Discovery at Mo. School 'Takes Your Breath From You'

Radioactive waste found at Jana Elementary, in St. Louis suburb where WWII nukes were made

(Newser) - There's significant radioactive contamination at an elementary school in suburban St. Louis where nuclear weapons were produced during World War II, according to a new report by environmental investigation consultants. The report by Boston Chemical Data Corp. confirmed fears about contamination at Jana Elementary School, in the Hazelwood School...

Mo. Grade School Riddled With Radioactive Material Closes

Contamination stems from WWII-era nuclear weapons production in the area

(Newser) - A Missouri school board decided Tuesday to shut down a grade school that sits near a contaminated creek after a study found high levels of radioactive material inside the school , the AP reports. Contamination was in classrooms, the playground, and elsewhere at Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, according to...

Underground Tank Leaking Nuclear Waste

Agency says there's no health risk, but watchdog says there are no good radioactive leaks

(Newser) - An underground storage tank dating to the Manhattan Project is leaking nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state. About 3½ gallons of radioactive material per day is seeping into the ground, the state Department of Ecology said. That adds to the 200,000 gallons that's leaked...

Report Paints Grim Picture of US Treatment of Islands

'Los Angeles Times': Marshall Islands dome with radioactive soil in danger of failure

(Newser) - The US used the Marshall Islands as a regular testing site for nuclear weapons decades ago. Now a new investigative report in the Los Angeles Times finds that the repercussions remain all too real. The most tangible sign of this is the Runit Dome—a massive concrete dome built by...

Ohio School Shuts Doors Over Radioactive Contamination

Enriched uranium detected near former nuclear plant

(Newser) - A scary situation got school shut down for summer break a week early in Piketon, Ohio: reports of radioactive contamination on the campus. Superintendent Todd Burkitt of the Scioto Valley Local School District has urged calm despite positive tests for enriched uranium inside Zahn's Corner Middle School and evidence...

Escaped Fugitive Accused of Dumping Radioactive Waste

James Ward has been on the run since 2013

(Newser) - A fugitive who escaped custody in Wyoming four years ago has been added to a list of US environmental crimes fugitives and is being sought by investigators for illegally dumping radioactive oilfield waste in North Dakota in incidents dating back to 2011, authorities say. James Kenneth Ward, 55, is considered...

St. Louis Couple Says WWII Nuclear Waste Made Home Unsafe

Robbin and Mike Dailey sue after tests show radioactive elements

(Newser) - During World War II, St. Louis was home to a purification plant for raw uranium ore as part of the Manhattan Project, which led to a dumping ground and storage site for radioactive waste. Today, residents are still feeling the effects, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday, per the Guardian...

Possible Home for Nuke Waste: Salt Beds

Officials want to expand New Mexico facility

(Newser) - The Department of Energy already buries some nuclear waste in salt beds, and some officials think the plan should be expanded so more radioactive waste can also be deposited there. At the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in the desert of Carlsbad, New Mexico, the waste is deposited half a mile...

Fracking's New Side Effect: Radioactive Wastewater

Study finds high levels near a discharge site

(Newser) - Add this to ongoing debate about the merits and potential dangers of fracking : A Duke study uncovered high levels of radioactivity in water and sediment downstream from a fracking treatment plant in Pennsylvania, reports LiveScience . The researchers discovered the unexpected levels of radium in a creek near the Josephine Brine...

Hydrofracking's Ugly Secret: From Gas Wells, Bad Water
Hydrofracking's Ugly Secret: From Gas Wells, Bad Water
new york times expose

Hydrofracking's Ugly Secret: From Gas Wells, Bad Water

Radiation more than 1K times legal limit not properly treated

(Newser) - It's called "hydrofracking"—injecting huge amounts of water, sand, and chemicals underground to break up rock formations and release natural gas—and it has an ugly secret. The technology allows energy companies to wring out small pockets of natural gas all across America—the number of gas wells...

Texas to US: Send Us Your Radioactive Waste

Commission OKs site, to be fourth such dump in country

(Newser) - In a move sure to delight the nuclear-energy industry and depress environmentalists, a Texas commission yesterday set the ball rolling on legislation that would make the state the final destination for 36 states' low-level radioactive-waste. The commission voted 5-2 to approve rules that govern the process of accepting such material....

12 Stories