Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovery at Savannah River Site Raises Concerns

Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovery

• 🐝 A radioactive wasp nest was discovered at the Department of Energy's Savannah River site, a former nuclear weapons production facility.
• ☢️ The nest exhibited radiation levels 10 times higher than permissible limits.
• 🚫 No wasps were found in the nest after workers sprayed it with insecticide and bagged it.

Skepticism Over Official Explanation

• 🤔 Tom Clements of Savannah River Site Watch is skeptical of the Department of Energy's explanation that the nest was contaminated by legacy waste on-site.
• 💧 Clements suggests wasps may have gathered contaminated materials from vegetation or woody materials that had absorbed waste.
• 🗺️ The Savannah River site spans 300 square miles and previously housed five nuclear reactors.

Concerns About Transparency and Future Risks

• 📄 Clements notes that the occurrence report lacks specific details on the radiation source and contamination levels, prompting a need for Freedom of Information Act requests.
• 🐢 He criticizes the slow pace of document release, hindering public understanding.
• 🐟 Past contamination of animals, including deer, has been documented on-site due to leaks into waterways from reactors.

Ongoing Operations and Future Concerns

• ⚠️ Clements expresses concern that the nest discovery might indicate unknown pathways for contamination from high-level waste tanks.
• ⛽ The site continues to receive high-level waste, with 48 of 51 million-gallon tanks still active.
• ⚛️ Future plans to bring tens of tons of plutonium to the site for weapon core production are a significant concern for increased nuclear material handling.