Hanford Action of Oregon
Files
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Document Type
Report
Date
11-12-2002
Description
Nine rooted vegetation samples were collected from Hanford on November 12, 2002, under a Hanford Site access agreement. Each of the 6 samples tested positive for at least one artificial radionuclide, probably of Hanford origin. These positive results show upward migration to the land surface vis deep-rooted plants that introduce the radioactivity into surface biota.
Hanford's strategy of cleaning up the topmost 15 feet of soil on the site is thus seen to rely on preclusion of deep-rooted, arid land vegetation. The "irrigated agriculture" and "rural residential" land use scenarios envision shallow-rooted plants that would not take buried waste up to the land surface. These positive results suggest that realistic land use scenarios should assume deep-rooted, arid land plants.
Present use of the 300-Area is essentially industrial. The main operator, DOE/RL, prevents uptake of buried radioactivity through deep-rooted vegetation by covering the ground with gravel and intensive application of herbicides. The real time fallibility of such institutional controls is seen by the feasibility of collecting deep-rooted plants from pre-selected locations in the 300-Area. While Hanford clean-up and future site management strategies take some account of the surprisingly short utility of institutional controls, the important lesson here is that institutional controls tend to be ineffective even from the outset.
The combination of clean-up strategies that do not account for unfavorable conditions that can be expected together with reliance on institutional controls that won't control bodes ill for safety and environmental quality in the future of Hanford site.
This research was completed money allocated during Round 3 of the Citizens’ Monitoring and Technical Assessment Fund (MTA Fund). Clark University was named conservator of these works.
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Publisher
Hanford Action of Oregon
Format
Keywords
nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons testing, environment, non-governmental organizations, United States Department of Energy, tribal governments, environmental cleanup, radioactive fallout, radioactive waste
Rights
Copyright belongs to the authors. Clark University was chosen by the non-profit peace and environmental groups as the conservator of these reports; our right to distribute these works ensures they remain available to the public in perpetuity as intended. Reuse at your own discretion with with due deference to copyright holders.
Location
Portland, OR
Recommended Citation
Hanford Action of Oregon and Buske, Norm, "Report of Hanford Site Access" (2002). Hanford Action of Oregon. 2.
https://commons.clarku.edu/hanfordaction/2
