Hanford Radioactive Waste

Greetings,

The Hanford images receive consistent views these days, what with all the energy, pollution talk and curiosity. Here's the background.

He lived in the area in 2001. An engineer friend took him out one Sunday for a tour when the reactor was down for maintenance. Surprisingly he was allowed to make images. Some were posted at Hanford Watch.org, a Portland web site monitoring radioactive waste, shipments and Department of Energy management.

He passed through initial control systems and received a badge reading, "Total Exposure System. Radiation Work Permit.”

This allowed access to non-radioactive areas with an approved dosage of 10 mrem/hr in general areas. His “stay time” was 500. My radiological conditions allowed me 1K of Betta Gamma and 2 mrem of Alpha.

They gave him a dosimeter badge to monitor my dosage in high/high-high radiation areas, contaminated areas and airborne radioactive areas or particle control areas. At every level he passed through a series of chambers where the badges were scanned to monitor exposure levels. Inside a chamber he'd stand on designated floor plates as a scanner did a frontal full body then read his back. A technician on the other side of the glass would see the results and allow access to that level.

All very Sci-Fi, think Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone circa Cold War.

He spent 3 hours with the engineer exploring every level of the reactor including the control room, turbines, cooling rod zone at the core level, waste containers and the energy grid sending power throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The Hanford nuclear reactor site has 55 million gallons of buried radioactive waste seeping 130 feet into water table levels near the Columbia River in decaying drums left over from WW II. Plutonium has a half-life of 24,100 years.

“There's also Technicium, TC-99,” said an Indian scientist on a shuttle between reactors. “This is the new death and we know it’s there and there is nothing we can do to prevent it spreading.”

The waste approaches 250 feet as multinational laboratories, corporations and D.O.E. think tanks vying for projects and energy contract extensions discuss vitrification (combine waste with glass to make them stable) options and emergency evacuation procedures according to regulations. Scientists read Robert’s Rules Of Order inside the organized chaos of their well order communities.

The Hanford link through Wikipedia contains extensive information.

This is his glowing report.

Peace.

Hanford Site