🚀 go-pugleaf

greige@bigpond.com (Greig Ebeling) wrote:

>The Las Vegas Sun, is not a scientific reference.  The article
>contains no verifiable information, it is nonsense.

>On Sun, 04 Jun 2000 19:10:59 GMT, none (Quarks like a duck) wrote:

>>greige@bigpond.com (Greig Ebeling) wrote:
>>Radioactive water alarms Nye officials
>>
>>Today: March 02, 2000 at 11:15:52 PST
>>
>>BY MARY MANNING
>>LAS VEGAS SUN
>>>
>>Nye County officials are taking a serious look at the
>>radioactive>contamination discovered in a ground-water sample off the
>>Nevada
>>Test Site and expect to have more results in a week, County
>>Manager Jerry McKnight said Wednesday.
>>
>>"Good science dictates that we verify these initial results,"
>>said Les Bradshaw, manager of the Nye County Department of Natural
>>Resources and Federal Facilities.
>>>
>>Nye officials revealed Wednesday that radiation in ground water
>>has been found outside the Nevada Test Site in amounts 25 times
>>higher than the federal drinking water standards.
>>
>>Increasing their concern is the type of radiation found. Two
>>types of radioactive particles--alpha, which is found in several
>>sources including plutonium, and beta, which causes skin>burns--make
>>it harder to pinpoint the source of the nuclear>contamination.>
>>
>>If the radioactive source came from one of the 928 nuclear
>>weapons experiments from Cold War activities there, it would be>the
>>first time radiation has been found outside of the Test Site, which is
>>located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
>>>
>>The Department of Energy's monitoring program has never found
>>radiation outside of the Rhode Island-sized nuclear proving
>>grounds. In 1998 DOE scientists discovered plutonium that
>>traveled on microscopic particles about a mile away from an
>>underground nuclear bomb crater on the site.
>>>
>>Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, both D-Nev., called
>>Wednesday's announcement another surprise. Reid said he would
>>discuss the issue with Energy Secretary Bill Richardson today.
>>
>>Reid had planned to meet with Richardson about including Test
>>Site workers in legislation that would compensate those harmed by
>>exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals.
>>>
>>The senator said the radiation found in the ground water
>>indicates why most Nevadans oppose a high-level nuclear
>>repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
>>>Yucca is the only site under consideration as a national dumping
>>>ground for 77,000 tons of highly radioactive wastes from
>>>commercial reactors and defense activities.
>>>
>>>"It's really important we accelerate the surveillance and
>>>monitoring at the Test Site," Reid told the Sun. "And it shows
>>>why we're opposed to Yucca Mountain. We need to know more."
>>>
>>>Bryan agreed with Reid.
>>>
>>>"This appears to be part of a growing pattern of radioactive
>>>migration from the Test Site," Bryan said. "More importantly,
>>>this discovery once again raises the credibility question for the
>>>Department of Energy."
>>
>>

It was verified by DOE