... wastes stored in underground tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation are so dangerous that their fumes give people headaches, nosebleeds and sore throats and make them nauseated.
An unfortunate few have been doused with the deadly stuff in accidents; one now is dying of cancer.
Called by state regulators "the most toxic waste known to this environment," the 53 million gallons of waste sit in 177 massive, buried tanks near the Columbia River. Intended for short-term use, some of the tanks are more than a half-century old. They were built of carbon steel -- an alloy prone to corrosion. They are cocooned in concrete that in places has cracked and crumbled. The contents historically boiled and exploded, and the tank bottoms buckled. More than one-third leaked.
An unfortunate few have been doused with the deadly stuff in accidents; one now is dying of cancer.
Called by state regulators "the most toxic waste known to this environment," the 53 million gallons of waste sit in 177 massive, buried tanks near the Columbia River. Intended for short-term use, some of the tanks are more than a half-century old. They were built of carbon steel -- an alloy prone to corrosion. They are cocooned in concrete that in places has cracked and crumbled. The contents historically boiled and exploded, and the tank bottoms buckled. More than one-third leaked.
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