The US Department of Energy has reported the discovery of a radioactive wasp nest at the Savannah River site in South Carolina, a former nuclear weapons production facility. The nest was found on 3 July near tanks used to store liquid nuclear waste, according to a department report released on 22 July.
The nest was sprayed and disposed of as radiological waste. Testing confirmed radiation levels greater than ten times the total contamination values allowed by federal regulations. The department stated that the contamination resulted from 'onsite legacy radioactive contamination' and was not related to a loss of contamination control. The ground and surrounding area showed no contamination, and no further action was required.
The Savannah River Mission Completion, which oversees the site, confirmed that radiological control staff discovered the nest during routine monitoring. The nest was sprayed and surveyed according to procedure. While no wasps were found on the nest, the individual insects would have significantly lower contamination levels. The immediate area was secured and surveyed, with no contamination found. There were no impacts to workers, the environment, or the public.
Tom Clements, executive director of the Savannah River Site Watch watchdog group, expressed concern that the department did not explain the source of the radioactive waste or whether there might be a leak from the waste tanks. The Savannah River site, built in the early 1950s, produced plutonium and tritium for nuclear weapons until the end of the Cold War. Since 1992, it has focused on environmental cleanup, nuclear materials management, and research. The F-Area Tank Farm, where the nest was found, contains 22 underground carbon steel tanks, each capable of holding up to 1.3 million gallons of radioactive waste.
