MEDIA BROADCASTS - Hanford
Watershed
Intelligence Network
About the WIN Hanford Media Awareness Campaign
The Watershed Intelligence Network has launched a media awareness campaign that supplies Canadian and international media with information bulletins about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
The bulletins are sent to community leaders and government representatives in both Canada and the United States so that they can offer comments regarding the situation at Hanford.
“This effort seeks to bring Hanford to the forefront of Canadian media so that journalists and news agencies are better able to report on this event from a Canadian perspective”, said project director Don Elzer.
The radioactive waste site at Hanford is next to the Columbia River which is home to a wild salmon run that feeds British Columbia; the site is about 200 miles from the Canadian border at Osoyoos, it is about 50 miles from the tributaries of the Okanogan River; and is within the traditional territories of First Nations people.
According to Hanford Quick Facts, which was published by the State of Washington Department of Ecology, one million gallons (4,000 cubic meters) of highly radioactive waste from Hanford is currently traveling through the groundwater toward the Columbia River and will reach the river in 12 to 50 years if the cleanup operation is delayed. Hanford has the highest level of radioactive waste of any site in the United States. It produced plutonium for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.
The Watershed Intelligence Network provides advocacy and press kit services on behalf of individuals, organizations and businesses that have a concern regarding the environment and the future of the planet. The reference by which this media project is managed is as follows:
The Columbia River is an international waterway. In the wake of the ongoing radioactive spills at Hanford Site in eastern Washington, the governments of Canada and British Columbia must exercise their rights as legal interveners so that they can closely examine, and if need be, take legal action against any possible negligence associated with the spill. They must be present as interveners in order to protect the Columbia River and associated eco-systems and species. By not representing the interests of Canadians and British Columbian’s these governments and their elected officials and employees may be the subject of legal action from citizens and communities.
“Hanford has become an international problem and it has created further questions about how radioactive waste in North America is managed presently and in the future – radioactivity knows no boundaries,” said Don Elzer.
To learn more about this campaign contact Don Elzer
WatershedIntelligenceNetwork.com
The Watershed Intelligence Network is an activist New Media organization. Our focus is to help individuals, organizations, businesses and governments deliver good work within efforts that will better protect the environment and expand elements of social justice and equality.
We provide advocacy services for a variety of causes connected to environmental protection and the expansion of key elements connected to social justice and equality.
- We publish books and e-magazines. We are an imprint belonging to Wildcraft Forest Books. We also produce documentary content for print and online distribution; and for audio and visual broadcasts.
- We provide consulting services for individuals, businesses, organizations and governments seeking to construct research and deliver information strategies.
- We provide written and graphic content for the production of websites, social media, newsletters, education campaigns and curriculum.
- We help writers in their efforts to publish books, websites and periodicals by providing editorial, design, layout and full production services.
- We offer media outlets with freelance writing services for news and special features.
- We offer research and business writing services that specializes in the preparation of support, outreach, funding and investment proposals as well as report and prospectus design.
We provide our services from creative bases in British Columbia, New Hampshire and Florida.
Hanford Site Information Bulletin #1
Hanford Site Media Reports and Findings
The Watershed Intelligence Network provides Canadian and international media with information bulletins about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the impacts of radioactive waste. The radioactive waste site at Hanford is next to the Columbia River which is home to a wild salmon run that feeds British Columbia; the site is about 200 miles from the Canadian border at Osoyoos, it is about 50 miles from the tributaries of the Okanogan River; and is within the traditional territories of First Nations people.
The Watershed Intelligence Network provides advocacy and press kit services on behalf of individuals, organizations and businesses that have a concern regarding the environment and the future of the planet. The reference by which this media project is managed is as follows:
The Columbia River is an international waterway. In the wake of the ongoing radioactive spills at Hanford Site in eastern Washington, the governments of Canada and British Columbia must exercise their rights as legal interveners so that they can closely examine, and if need be, take legal action against any possible negligence associated with the spill. They must be present as interveners in order to protect the Columbia River and associated eco-systems and species. By not representing the interests of Canadians and British Columbian’s these governments and their elected officials and employees may be the subject of legal action from citizens and communities.
Concerns over gas build ups in Hanford tanks
KING 5 News - April 2, 2013
The Department of Energy was warned in a letter last September that there were not adequate safeguards in place to prevent build-ups of flammable gasses inside nuclear waste storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
The letter from the congressionally appointed Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DFNSB), points out what board members feel are inadequate systems to prevent the possible release of flammable gasses.
According to the (DNFSB), “The current control strategy does not include any measures to periodically release the trapped gases in a controlled manner to preclude the accumulation of flammable concentrations.”
The previously classified report became public Tuesday. It included scenarios it felt could lead to flammable releases that would “have considerable radiological consequences, endanger personnel, contaminate portions of the Tank Farms, and seriously disrupt the waste cleanup mission.”
The report specifically refers to systems on Hanford’s newer, double shelled tanks which hold some of the most hazardous mixtures of nuclear and chemical wastes leftover from production of nuclear weapons during World War II and the Cold War.
At least one of those tanks is showing signs of leaking from the interior wall. Hydrogen and other gasses are constantly being generated from the waste inside the tanks, which are ventilated to prevent volatile build ups.
The report summarizes that “at this time, DOE does not have a means to provide alternate ventilation if the existing ventilation system becomes inoperable. The hazards posed by flammable gas releases in DSTs and the challenges they pose to any ventilation system are directly proportional to the volume of flammable gas retained within the DST wastes.”
The Department of Energy released a statement which counters the report by saying, in part, “All DSTs are actively ventilated, which means they have blowers and fans to prevent hydrogen gas build-up. These ventilation systems are monitored to ensure they are operating as intended.”
Further details and the full story:
Unexpected gas releases from Hanford tank
KING 5 News - April 4, 2013
KING 5 News has learned there’s been a series of unexpected hydrogen gas releases from a tank holding radioactive waste at Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Confidential sources say it began on March 16 and lasted for several days, much longer than usual, and they worry a single spark could have set off an explosive release of radioactivity.
This comes two days after a report by a government panel expressing concerns about the release of flammable gasses at Hanford and the government's inability to respond to them.
Our confidential sources and government representatives are giving dramatically different versions of what has happened. Both agre a million-gallon tank holding nuclear waste at Hanford had a build-up of hydrogen gas.
Our confidential sources say it was of a magnitude larger than anything teams there have seen in at least two years and "burped" days longer than normal.
Workers who toil above the buried Hanford tank farms constantly monitor the tanks for gas build-ups and will conduct controlled releases to reduce pressure. We're told this was a spontaenous release, not controlled.
Hydrogen gas is constantly being produced in some tanks by the extremely high temperatures of nuclear waste. They are like dozens of underground crock pots just simmering away. Sometimes, they can boil over.
The Department of Energy released this response:
In mid-March one of Hanford’s double-shell tanks (DST) had a gas release which is an expected periodic event. Of the 28 DST’s at the Hanford Tank Farms, there are five that periodically release hydrogen gas in a spontaneous manner. These releases typically occur every one to two years in these five tanks and can last for a couple of days. Releases in the DST’s have been occurring for decades and are decreasing in hydrogen levels. DOE has specific ignition source controls on these five tanks to minimize the potential for ignition of flammable gas. In addition, all DSTs are actively ventilated to exhaust flammable gas from the tank head space.
In the case of AN-105, on March 16 during a 36 hour release, ORP monitored the level of hydrogen in the tank head space and it was well below the concentration required for a flammable environment (at approximately 37% of the lowest possible flammability limit).
ORP is committed to ensuring the safety of Hanford’s underground tanks.
Lori Gamache
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S. Department of Energy
Further details and the full story:
Hanford's Radwaste Tanks Leaking & Explosive, Waste Treatment Plant Unsafe: Whistleblowers Vindicated
Daily Kos - April 05, 2013
The highly radioactive dregs of WWII and cold war bomb-making continue to evolve explosive hydrogen gas, corrode and leak through tanks, while plans to clean them up continue to fail. 53 million gallons of high-level defense waste are held in 177 underground tanks, 149 of which are single-shelled and leak-prone. One million gallons of radioactive waste, leaked into groundwater, is seeping towards the Columbia river.
The Bush-Cheney administration fast-tracked a risky, untested, plan to simultaneously design and build a waste processing and vitrification facility to dispose of the highly radioactive residue of plutonium production. Costs have already run 3 times over the original $4.3 billion budget and the promised completion date in 2011 has been put off indefinitely. The basic design of the waste processing system called the "pretreatment facility" may be critically flawed. The GAO has written multiple reports finding multiple faults with the safety, design, construction, and management of the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) project. Multiple whistleblowers have exposed severe safety, design and management problems with the project.
One of the project's managing engineers, Walter Tamosaitis, Ph.D., the Manager of Research and Technology found that design problems that could lead to hydrogen explosions within the "pretreatment facility" had not been met by Bechtel, the prime contractor, before it claimed a $6 million timely performance payment. He discussed his safety concerns with Bechtel managers, presenting them with a 50 item problem list on July, 1, 2010. On July 2, 2010 he was escorted from his office, demoted, then sent to an offsite basement office with no furniture and no work assignment. The Seattle Weekly obtained e-mail evidence that Frank Russo, who Bechtel named Director of WTP in January 2010, orchestrated the crack down on Tamosaitis.
Further details and the full story:
Additional Context:
Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant
There is a long history of dysfunction when it comes to radioactive contamination. The Rocky Flats Plant, a former U.S. nuclear weapons production facility in the state of Colorado, caused radioactive contamination within and outside its boundaries and also produced "area-wide contamination of the Denver area." The contamination resulted from decades of emissions, leaks and fires that released radioactive isotopes, largely plutonium (Pu-239), into the environment. The plant was located about 15 miles upwind from Denver and has since been shut down and its buildings demolished and completely removed from the site.
According to a scientific study, published in 1972, "In the more densely populated areas of Denver, the Pu contamination level in surface soils is several times fallout", and the plutonium contamination "just east of the Rocky Flats plant ranges up to hundreds of times that from nuclear tests."
As noted in a scientific journal, "Exposures of a large population in the Denver area to plutonium and other radionuclides in the exhaust plumes from the plant date back to 1953." Moreover, in 1957 there was a major Pu-239 fire at the plant, followed by another major fire in 1969. Both of these fires resulted in this radioactive material being released into the atmosphere, with the then-secret 1957 fire being the more serious of the two. The contamination of the Denver area by plutonium from these fires and other sources was not reported until the 1970s, and as of 2011 the U.S. Government continues to withhold data on post-Superfund cleanup contamination levels.
Elevated levels of plutonium have been found in the remains of cancer victims living near the Rocky Flats site, and breathable plutonium outside the former boundaries of the plant was found in August 2010. No government studies of the plutonium contamination and its effect on health are being held as of 2011, and private groups and researchers remain concerned about long-term consequences of the contamination.
Denver's automotive beltway to this day lacks for a component in the northwest sector, partly due to concerns over plutonium contamination, which prevailing winds spread over the area during and since the fires. Notably, plutonium has a 24,000-year half-life, and the Superfund remediation of Rocky Flats did not include offsite areas, nor Denver, nor its suburbs. U.S. Government efforts to make the area surrounding the former plant into the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge have been controversial due to the pervasive contamination, much of which is underground and not remediated
A quick reference via Wikipedia:
The Rocky Flats Plant information via the State of Colorado:
The Rocky Flats Plant information via the EPA:
Radioactive contamination and migratory wildlife
There is a trend to convert areas with radioactive contamination into wildlife refuge areas, yet there is growing evidence that migratory species and even plant life can be seriously impacted by radioactive contamination.
Chernobyl birds have smaller brains
Study examines impacts of radioactive contamination on birds
PLOS One - February 4, 2011
Animals living in areas contaminated by radioactive material from Chernobyl suffer from increased oxidative stress and low levels of antioxidants. Therefore, normal development of the nervous system is jeopardized as reflected by high frequencies of developmental errors, reduced brain size and impaired cognitive abilities in humans. Alternatively, associations between psychological effects and radiation have been attributed to post-traumatic stress in humans.
Here we used an extensive sample of 550 birds belonging to 48 species to test the prediction that even in the absence of post-traumatic stress, there is a negative association between relative brain size and level of background radiation. We found a negative association between brain size as reflected by external head volume and level of background radiation, independent of structural body size and body mass. The observed reduction in brain size in relation to background radiation amounted to 5% across the range of almost a factor 5,000 in radiation level. Species differed significantly in reduction in brain size with increasing background radiation, and brain size was the only morphological character that showed a negative relationship with radiation. Brain size was significantly smaller in yearlings than in older individuals.
Further details and the full report:
Researchers Use Wildlife To Track Radioactive Clean-Up
GPB News – April 11, 2011
Inside an austere laboratory at the Savannah River Site, ecologist Whit Gibbons runs a handheld Geiger counter over a large Slider Turtle. He's looking for radiation. This turtle is clean. But Gibbons says that's not always the case.
"Most of the areas aren't radioactive but we identified a few hotspots on the site and sure enough then we'll track the turtles back to the point where, here's the radioactive contaminants in the water, in seepage basins for instance."
Those seepage basins are pits that have been holding nuclear waste since the 1950s. Radioactive materials and heavy metals sometimes leak from the basins. That contaminates the surrounding water and soil. So, the thousands of wild animals that roam the 300 square mile site are vulnerable to contamination.
Gibbons and his colleagues at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab now scour the land for radioactive turtles.
"We have been, with the support of the Department of Energy, monitoring every turtle we catch and, at this point, we have caught well over 10,000 turtles on the Savannah River Site."
The goal is to gauge how well the government's clean up effort at SRS is going. Gibbons says 180 turtles have shown signs of radiation above the levels people are exposed to every day. And turtles aren't the only creatures being tested.
Stacy Lance studies the long term effects of contamination on alligators at the Savannah River Site.
"Alligators are great for this because they live a really long time: 40 to 70 years. So a lot of these animals have been exposed to contaminants their entire life."
Like the turtles, the gators are captured, marked, tested and then released. Lance says if a radioactive animal is caught in an area thought to be free of contamination it's a sign more clean-up work is needed.
Another part of the Ecology Lab's mission is making sure contaminants don't get carried off the site by animals that can be eaten by humans like ducks.
"Because they can fly further and faster. They can land and get contaminated in a radioactive seepage basin, a lot of which have now been covered up but there are still radioactive contaminated aquatic habitats."
Researcher I. Lehr Brisbin says he hasn't found any contaminated ducks at SRS. But he says migratory birds can spread radiation across long distances. Most troubling, he says, is the prospect of birds traveling over Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, which is leaking radiation into the air.
"If they then go through this plume, or very contaminated area in Japan, then that has great implications for the people who may eat them next summer in Alaska."
Brisbin is now trying to find ways his research at SRS can help in Japan.
And so is Stacy Lance. She is part of a new international think-tank created to answer the many questions arising from Japan's nuclear crisis.
"We can't get rid of energy we have to have energy everywhere but it's just making sure that we know what the impacts are and that we're doing everything we can to minimize those impacts."
Lance says the trouble in Japan and the research at SRS highlight the importance of understanding atomic energy's impact on the planet and all its inhabitants.
Further details and the full story:
