So now the cold war is over
Nuclear waste in a new age
by Kathryn Graham
The Metropolitan
As the cold war ended, efforts to clean up the massive excess of nuclear and toxic waste began. Some believe our cold war victory has given us security. It certainly depleted a huge portion of our budget and is still doing so today, due to cleanup costs. But has it given us more security, and, if so, at what cost to our health? 
(photo by Bradley Wakoff The Metropolitan)
A transport container waits to be loaded outside of the state-of-the-art loading facility at Rocky Flats. The new high-speed facility is necessary in order to load trucks and remove waste and demolition debris quickly. The current clean-up schedule will have the site remedied by late 2006.
Leftover toxic and nuclear wastes, including plutonium and uranium, have been leaking into our environment and hangs around for thousands of years.
Cleaning up this chemical mess is a colossal task but Kaiser-Hill Co. reports that the Rocky Flats closure project is below budget and ahead of schedule.
In 1995, when Kaiser-Hill was awarded the contract to clean up Rocky Flats by the Department of Energy, the condition of the site was reportedly disastrous.
Two of the buildings at Rocky Flats were ranked the most dangerous plutonium storage buildings in the United States.
"We had tanks and pipes that were leaking in the buildings," said John Corsi, media and community relations manager for Kaiser-Hill. Kaiser-Hill claims that their current cleanup levels for soil and water far exceed the federal and state standards, although some disagree.
"They have a history of hiding things," said Dr. Neils Schonbeck, Metro State chemistry professor.
Recently, Jacque Brever, a former employee at Rocky Flats, blew the whistle accusing them of making false statements to regulators and of hiding waste in several areas.
Brever is currently an environmental scientist and activist, and although the DOE has investigated and dismissed many of Brever's claims, they admit there are still some areas of concern at Rocky Flats.
One big problem is worker contamination. Eight employees were contaminated in August, which is high considering that only five incidents were reported in the six months prior. 
(photo by Bradley Wakoff The Metropolitan)
Remnants of a building at Rocky Flats. Demolition efforts are quite intense right now at Rocky Flats; two weeks prior to this photograph the building was standing.
"Half of the events we had were because the workers were not careful enough taking off their gear," said Frazer Lockhart, DOE manager.
Orphan waste is another concern. Although 80 percent has already been shipped off-site, there are still 25 drums of depleted uranium, called T1, with no vendor to deal with their problematic chemical contents.
"It's (T1) the most troubling to me," said Lockhart.
Building 779 is also raising concerns. Surface water readings of more than 250 pCi/g (picocuries) are coming from the area.
A picocurie is a measurement of radioactivity. The environmental level deemed safe by federal standards is 50 pCi/g.
"It's a smoking gun," said Lockhart.
Questions have been raised as to whether these contamination issues are being handled aggressively enough.
"We are closely monitoring the situation," said Steve Gunderson, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health.
Some obvious victims of the post cold war cleanup efforts, and yet another problem for Rocky Flats, are the numerous birds, mostly swallows, which have been found in concrete sewage treatment tanks containing ethylene glycol.
One hundred bird carcasses have been taken in for examination as part of an investigation by the Department of Interior. They are investigating this matter in line with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which was passed to protect migratory birds.
In 2001, U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard and Congressman Mark Udall, co-sponsored legislation to make Rocky Flats a wildlife refuge and recreational area upon closure, which poses safety concerns.
It is not, however, in the plan to have the core industrial area of Rocky Flats open for recreational use. Instead, a monitoring station is expected to go there and it has not yet been decided whether that area will be fenced off, said Corsi.
Although it is said that Rocky Flats will be safe upon closure, some remain skeptical.
"Their decision was more PR-based than a health concern. A recreation area gives them a much better PR picture. We got rid of our waste, come to Colorado," said Schonbeck.
Not only are there concerns about whether or not the set guidelines are being followed, there is also concern that the standards of those guidelines may not be set high enough. There still may be some waste left behind after closure.
Removing waste that is six feet or more below the ground is a decision that is made on a "case by case basis, based on risk," said Corsi.
Underground contamination poses a greater concern with uranium because it is soluble letting it move into ground water.
Although nuclear waste left in the environment is a threat to us all, it could pose a more serious threat to nearby residents.
"There was a time when spill damage levels were determined and later it was found that there was much more than ever originally thought. How many more times has that happened?
"Time is an issue with exposure. Are you a rancher there or a once a year visitor?" asked Schonbeck.
Some, however, feel confident about the projected cleanup efforts at Rocky Flats.
"I have a two-year-old son, and a one-year-old baby, and I will have no problem bringing them out here. As a matter of fact, I'm looking forward to it," said Corsi.
There are approximately 10,000 truck-loads of waste left to be removed. The trucks travel on Interstate 25 en route to New Mexico.
The waste is stored in large metal cylinders that have been tested to successfully withstand impact.
In the event of a traffic accident, there is more of a risk that one of the cylinders might crush a car than there is that one might break open and spill, said Corsi.
Soon, and for the first time, Rocky Flats plans to transport waste by rail. Some of this waste will stop temporarily at the Denver north yard, on the border of Adams County.
Kaiser-Hill is expected to have the whole Rocky Flats closure project completed by 2006.
This month, Kaiser-Hill plans to lay off less than one hundred workers.
"There are currently 2,300 (employees) on site now and we expect to have less than half of that by next year," said Corsi.
There has also been talk of a possible on-site cold war museum.
"I think it's a great idea," Corsi said.
|
