Hanford nuke workers told to "take shelter" cause of leak

[donsu]

does one "take shelter" from radiation? are they lead lined shelters?

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=12595&cat=dis&lang=eng


Hanford workers were being moved out of the 200 West Area of central Hanford this afternoon after a leak was discovered in the tank farms. Radioactive waste being transferred between underground tanks leaked onto the ground from an above-ground transfer line, apparently during the night. The leak was discovered Friday morning. No employees were in the immediate area at the time of the leak, but as a precaution all employees in the 200 West Area were told to take shelter at 11 a.m. today. This afternoon they were being moved out of the area. )
------------------------

"being moved out of the area" is interesting wording.

[TankLV]

1. Duct Tape & Plastic Sheeting...

Oh, and "Duck & Cover" work too, so we're told...

[VTMechEngr]

2. Pretty Standard.

If its alpha or beta, just getting into a building protects you.

[TahitiNut]

3. The word 'area' is commonly used on the Hanford site.

The whole site is plotted into zones based upon the use of the land and the hazards of radioactivity. In the map of the site below, you can locate the 200 Area - where dozens of huge underground tanks ("tank farm") have been used for 50 years to contain radioactive waste from all manner of fissionable materials processing, including plutonium purification. Nobody really knows what's in these tanks - partly because the 'science' of the chemical processes under such conditions is ill-developed. It's nasty, nasty stuff ... and it's been leaking into the ground for years and years. I worked there for 5 years, in the 3000 Area at the lower right of the map. I lived on a north-facing hillside just west of the Yakima River (in West Richland) - shown at the bottom of the map - with a great view of the entire site from my picture window.

[donsu]

4. I didn't realize it was so huge.

wonder what the cancer rate is down stream and down wind? birth defects?

in the Potomac River the fish are dual sexed. the males carry eggs.

what's happening in your rivers?

[TahitiNut]

5. Funny you should ask.

Even though I left there in 1998, I had a complete physical exam earlier this year conducted by a DOE contractor doing a study on the health profiles of (former) Hanford employees. I've heard nothing back from either the physical or the study. I don't know if I will.

There have been several 'studies' of radioactive waste leaking into the ground water (and then into the Columbia River) but the "statistical assumptions" have, at least in one of the studies I knew about when I was there, been highly skewed in order to generate more 'acceptable' results. Clearly, any such study is heavily reliant on sampling and testing and the assumptions underlying such a study are extensive - including the flow of groundwater, soil percolation, sources of contamination, etc. Nonetheless, it can be reliably said that radioactive toxic waste IS reaching the Columbia River. Some biological anomalies have been noted but, needless to say, their attribution and extent is highly politicized.

It's a HUGE political issue and watchdog groups go bald pulling their hair out and beating their heads against the political wall. The whole site is a huge rice bowl for over a dozen private contractors. Over 90% of the people who work there are (technically) employees of the contractor. When the DOE sneezes, the whole Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco) area gets pneumonia. Billion$ in contracts.

To get an overview (satellite), you can look at the Google Map here ...
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&om=1&ie=UTF8&ll=46.55408,-119.534168&spn=0.631778,0.866547&z=10

Virtually everything to the north and east of Hwy 240 and to the south and west of the Columbia River (loop) is the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. To the southeast, you'll see Richland and West Richland (where I lived). It's a HUGE area. Don't be distracted by the apparent town names (when you zoom in) scattered in that area - they were evacuated over 60 years ago. NOBODY lives on the reservation. The built-up area just to the northeast of Hwy 240 is the 200 West area.