So there is this big hole in the ground in New Mexico

[RobertEarl]

WIPP is its name.

Waste Isolation Pilot Project.

Into this hole in the ground has gone billions of taxpayer dollars.

And nuclear waste.

Said to be a place that would safely store nuclear waste for a thousand years, WIPP has already failed to safely store nuclear waste in the ground, away from the air. It's only been about 15 years in operation and already it has failed and has been releasing nuclear waste into the air.

It was supposed to keep the waste out of the atmosphere for at least a thousand years. Uh. Oh.

[ReRe]

1. Do you have a link, Robert Earl? n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. There are many

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/03/20/new-mexico-same-old-story-radiation-leaks-and-manhattan-project-154101

And the big hole is not quite man made. It is the Carlsbad mountain cave system. It's not even fully mapped and covers more than one state.

[RobertEarl]

4. One LBN link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=762608

And lots of discussion and other links can be found on ENEnews.com

[trusty elf]

3. A thousand years is not much.

High level nuclear waste remains deadly for over 200,000 years.

[NutmegYankee]

5. No, it's an inverse relationship.

The higher the radioactivity, the faster the element decays. The really hot stuff will be gone in a thousand years or so.

[trusty elf]

7. Well, according to Greenpeace....

"Plutonium 239 has a half-life of approximately 24,000 years. That means that after 24,000 years half of the radioactivity contained in the plutonium will have decayed. However, the hazardous life of radioactive waste is at least ten times the half-life, therefore these wastes will have to be isolated from the environment for 240,000."


http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/nuclear/safety-and-security/radioactive-waste/


Is this information not correct?

[NutmegYankee]

11. It's an alpha particle emitter.

Alpha particles cannot make it past the dead layer of your skin. You can actually hold it and feel the warmth without much risk at all. What is a bigger issue is that plutonium, like lead or cadmium, is a toxic heavy metal and you need to take steps to avoid inhaling or ingesting it. Since it is a metal this is fairly straight forward.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Toxicity is a factor too. Plutonium is one of the most toxic things on earth.

[NutmegYankee]

12. That I completely agree with.

It's not the alpha radiation from it - it's the heavy metal toxicity.

[RobertEarl]

13. Yeah

According to reports there seems to have been a conflagration underground which was vented to the atmosphere where they have found plutonium in an as yet undetermined plume.

The use of plutonium in weapons is greatly desired by those who make the weapons because plutonium gets, shall we say, very excited when heated.

Evidently, the plutonium being stored underground got excited and decided to leave the grounds of the facility.

[NutmegYankee]

15. If they had a fire underground that would do it.

Plutonium can burn at higher temps and the resulting "smoke" would be radioactive. I not sure what you mean by "very excited" for weapons use. The more active forms are specifically not used in weapons because they are too active.

[RobertEarl]

18. There was a fire

About 6 weeks ago a truck is said to have caught on fire. Much dark smoke was seen coming up the ventilation shafts.

I wonder, given what you say about the 'more active forms' of plutonium, if that is what they are storing down there?

[NutmegYankee]

19. It's possible.

They should be inerted, but accidents can happen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrophoricity

http://158.132.155.107/posh97/private/Case/hbk1081d.html#ZZ281

[Spitfire of ATJ]

21. "Evidently, the plutonium being stored underground got excited and decided to leave the grounds.."

"Fluorine? Get in here NOW! There's a volatile precursor on the loose looking to bond! You can play with your isotopes later."

[burrowowl]

17. Plutonium is considered low-level

but this has nothing to do with its danger. It lasts a long time.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

20. It also kills in tiny doses. Think: Lead poisoning with frosting.

[gtar100]

16. But it's long enough for the perpetrators to get away and enough to calm the masses.

Our modern world beliefs are so rooted in not being part of this Earth that it's generally hard to get anyone to care about what happens beyond their own lifetime, let alone a thousand years from now. When it comes to nuclear energy, it seems we have a lot more to learn about it before we can safely use it with minimal risk over its actual life cycle. Would love to see it happen but it seems that just burying the waste in the ground is a recipe for disaster and pushing the problem onto future generations. But who cares if we ourselves are dead by then anyway, right? Eat the young, say the rich.

[rhett o rick]

6. And in the mean time tons and tons of spent fuel are sitting in "parking lots" all across the USofA.

These "parking lots" are intended for temporary storage, but when does temporary storage turn into permanent?

[RobertEarl]

9. The nuclear scientists best get busy, eh?

First, they need to quit making more waste.

Second, even tho the stuff is deadly to work with, they need to dive in and begin figuring out how to turn the transuranics back into uranium.

When they began turning uranium into transuranics, they promised us that they would find a way to make the waste into something safe. So far, they have failed. And here we are, with a failing waste facility and the problem growing larger every day.

The scientists have not inspired much trust.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. Kinda like when they hit water at Yucca Mountain.

[DeSwiss]

14. If you live anywhere near that place -- get out.

- These Mofo's don't give a shit about us. And they will lie their asses off to keep the truth from coming out.

K&R