Radiation incident at Hanford

[icymist]

Thursday, August 5, 2004

Radiation incident at Hanford
Safety breach exposes worker to unsafe levels; five others put at risk

By LISA STIFFLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

At least one Hanford worker was recently exposed to unsafe radiation levels after key safety measures were ignored during a cleanup project in an underground waste area, the contractor coordinating the work said yesterday.

Five or more workers encountered unexpectedly high levels of radiation during the incident July 22, according to CH2M Hill Hanford Group.

The workers were not wearing protective lead gloves, and when the radiation was detected, work was not stopped so shielding devices could be put in place, CH2M Hill officials said.

A technician also lacked the proper device -- called a "black widow" -- to accurately read the amount of radiation being given off, the officials said.

CH2M Hill, which is in charge of work around the 177 buried storage tanks, voluntarily stopped all work on the project after the incident and is investigating.

The company has been criticized recently for its safety practices in state and federal reports.

More at this

[icymist]

1. Are we, as a species, insane?

What possible costs are being saved by those in charge when ignoring safety in such a place? Didn't mankind ponder about the enormous price to be paid by having this power placed into his charge? I, for one, certainly won't look for work at Hanford!

[donhakman]

4. There are already over 1,000,000 acres

around Hanford not fit for man, beast or apples.
Its not as bad as Chernobyl but its worse than Rocky Flats CO.

Since my sister was killed by a US government sanctioned radiation experiment I took more than a passing interest in nuclear issues.

In my on site research I have found radiation repositories as close as 10 yards from playgrounds, fifty year old hot brittle reactors that were to be shut down after thirty years, a 1000% explosion in childhood leukemia rates in 50 years etc.

During the last term of the Clinton administration an openess regarding the mistakes of the DOE was begun.
Not only has that been clamped shut but the old thinking of the 50's has replaced the hard won facts of US radiation disasters.

[TahitiNut]

18. They also practice politicized "science".

It amazing how the widely results of any sampling (groundwater, etc.) can be interpreted by varying the "assumptions."

[Eloriel]

11. Yes, we are insane

With an obvious species self-destructive bent. The proof of that to me has ALWAYS been the use of nuclear power -- for which there is no place on earth to safely store the waste which, as everyone knows, remains toxic to all life for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. What could it be but insanity that said "okay" to proceeding with such a self-destructive method of generating power (or anything) as that?

Insanity, plus blind greed, of course. But I increasingly believe the greed is just a symptom of the insanity.

[KoKo]

2. OMG! CNN Headline News just reported Bush to do away with Nuclear

Plant information, particularly "incidents of malfunctions" which could be used by terrorists to gain information about how our nuclear plants work!

I just turned on CNN Headline before logging on to DU and seeing this post! They didn't mention anything about the Hanford release and exposure of workers to radiation.

This is truly frightening. The first report of a malfunction at Hanford was last week and the article said that everything was under control and no radiation had been released. Now, we see that it was worse than reported and Bush wants it covered up so that in the future we won't know anything about any dangers from plants near us.

These people are truly evil, deranged and sadistic. Every day they do something else to clamp down on our information. And, one has to assume they've reached the point where they ENJOY it! Sick...

[donhakman]

5. As part of the Patriot Act

Industry wrote its own legislation so that they do not have to disclose the nature of any leak, pollution or hazard to the public.
Industries after an accident are now allowed to withold information regading poisons, leaks and contamination of the surrounding countryside. NOT EVEN PHYSICIANS TREATING THE DEAD AND DYING AT HOSPITALS may be told of the deadly agents that are released.

The justification given was to prevent terrorists from knowing what the plant contains. But exactly who are the terrorists here and who is protected?

[icymist]

7. This news should scare us all.

But the news we all care about is Mary K. Letourneau, Kobe Bryant, and (watch the news later) Michael Jackson!

[MisterP]

17. that puts us behind the people of Bhopal

at least they knew what killed thousands of their fellows

[icymist]

6. Only industry, big business, and corporations have rights in...

George Bush's world. I'm beginning to believe in LIHOP and MIHOP and seeing this entire 'war on terra' as a device toward corporate rule. Everything about how the shrubbery are treating 'protecting' nuclear plants leads to little or no regulation of these with the public having no way to find out. The lessons of Chernobl, Bhopal, and Three Mile Island are ignored so long as a short term corporate profit is gained. Common Americans, such as you and I, are only in these people's way.

(On edit for spelling.)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. yep here's the link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=728541

[struggle4progress]

16. The NRC started limiting public info immediately after 9/11. eom

[LiberalEsto]

3. It only affected workers

Workers don't count in reThug America. Only CEOs and their toadies count.

To guarantee worker safety at Hanford and other radioactive waste sites, cleanip contracting company CEOs should be forced to work at the cleaup locations for the duration of the projects. Nuff said.

[mbperrin]

9. Just more good news from that nice "clean" nukular

energy!

[proud patriot]

10. Arghhhhhhhh ! So Karen Silkwood Died for Nothing

:grr: Not while I'm still breathing ..

Mike Malloy touched on this last night .

We must protect our children from these
Devils ....

[One_Life_To_Give]

12. Seen it before

I have seen contractors removing asbestos refuse to wear their masks. Despite having heard all the warnings, they refuse to inconvenience themselves today, to guard against a perceived possibility tomorrow.

[Lindacooks]

13. I'm sorry to add a light note to this, but...

... is anybody else thinking of Homer Simpson?

[glitch]

14. I am thinking of putting these ceos in prison - and the types of work

details these prisoners will be put on.

[Ediacara]

15. Just great.......

July 22nd? Isn't that around the same time that the reactor shut down and they had to manually insert some control rods?

ON EDIT: Nevermind, it was on July 30th, I searched the archives, and here is the thread.