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Radioactive waste near New Mexico water supply not a health risk, officials say

If a more pre-active role was taken by the residents with careful inclusion of broadcast businesses, internet exposure of photo's perhaps the DOE will step up to the plate and move more quickly to clean up the mess. However, it still has to GO somewhere. Idealy, it would be put into no corroding contianers, iron cylilnders covered with copper jackets and buried wa-a-ay down in the Carslbad Caverns. 1944 was a different world and I'm sure they knew about the prpblems and dangers but they really didn;t have the capabioity to store the waste the way they do now. It does serve to illustrate that Nuclear trash is a problem for then and now. Gov-Nuclear pllans include waste recycling on a large basis, but will it be enough? Remains to be seen, no pun intended. boino

The article refers to perchlorate as "organic:" "Unsafe concentrations of organic compounds ? such as perchlorate,..." Organic, in the chemical sense, which should apply here in a discussion of chemical compounds, means compounds containing carbon. This definition has been used by chemists ever since Woehler, around 1840, showed that chemical compounds that had been called "organic" because they were believed to require a life-force to be created, were carbon compounds, with no requirement for life-force for their creation. Thus, referring to perchlorates as organic is not consistent with modern chemistry. Maybe the author intended "inorganic" (meaning not organic), which would have been correct. The word "organic,," referring to food produced without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, does not seem to apply here either.
Taking out the reference to perchlorate in the above quotation, "Unsafe concentrations of organic compounds ..." is a statement that seems entirely likely. Organic compounds like benzene, toluene, acetone, and chlorinated organic compounds like carbon tetrachloride and tetrachloroethylene were used as solvents, and most likely some of these ended up in the buried waste.

Blast a bomb 2,000 feet below the ground and meet the ban on above ground testing treaty...but the fallout stays underground. finally gets into the water supply....sure is reasonable. Wonder if someone said this 40 years ago...moving fallout from the air to the water supply. Problem not solved.

Seen any three eyed fish? This is just further proof that nuclear power is not an option and existing stations should be decommissioned now, we need more alternative energy sources.

Currently available UVPCO (ultra violet photocatalytic oxidation)technology could easily, unabtrusivly and cheaply oxidize these organic contaminates. While it is a relatively unknown technology NASA, FHWA and numerous universities are both studying and using the technology. A million square feet of surface is currently being installed in LA. Check out www.csggrp.com and PURETi TiO2 nano technology solutions.

In many parts of the country the native amount of radioactive elements in the ground is many times higher than what has happened there.

I live in Minnesota and the Radon gas concentrations in basements is an order of magnitude more dangerous that this stuff.

Having said that, I agree with BassRiverBill but add that plasma ovens convert all organic stuff and heterogeneous mixtures of diluted radioactive products. In the case of the diluted radioactive materials it glassifies them into a substance you can walk up to and lick it, it is so safe. It is so hard that eroding it is a millineal time issue. You also encase it in a skin to increase imperviousness.

It's not being done due to the constant roadblocks set up by the Chicken Little Society of American and its affilated chapters in Green Peace, WWF, etc. This is only an issue because they want it that way as fund raisers. The fuel rods can be recycled and about 75% to 90% reused except that Jimmy "What me worry?" Carter signed away our ability to do so. This would reduce the radioactive waste stream to nearly nothing in combination with the above.

Science fact is preferred over science fiction.

How Much Radioactive stuff is there?

No figures of the degree of the these materials,just that they are there.

Until someone gives the rate rate/quantity of radiation you cannot know what the risks are.

As usual in these stories , the term radioactive is used to scare the pants of the masses.

Green Peace is mentioned above. They are a bunch of extremists who resort to terrorism when they don't like something.
Truth is not something that they believe in.

I agree with wizardjr, people who live in houses built of Granite like Scotland get quite high doses of Radon .
No worries there as it is natural.

Use technology adbances to deactivate these harmful substances.

Thanks for the article.Your article was pretty informative and i hope that in future also i get these kind of article.

Thanks,
Portable Storage,
www.moveablecubicle.com