[ RadSafe ] 60 Minutes feature on Hanford last night

[John Jacobus]

Al,
Thanks for personal prespective and updating.

--- "Conklin, Al  (DOH)" <Al.Conklin at DOH.WA.GOV>
wrote:

> The issues are no longer the same, or as bad as they
> used to be. While
> DOE and its predecessors disposed of waste somewhat
> haphazardly over
> much of Hanford's history since World War II, things
> are no longer as
> bad as they once were.
> 
> 67 of 177 high level waste tanks had leaked. The
> standing liquids have
> been removed so further leakage will be minor until
> the waste can be
> removed. 
> 
> Removal has started. Several of the smaller 55,000
> tanks have been
> pumped and a couple of the bigger 750,000 tanks
> also. As funding
> improves, they have plans in place to do them big
> time, running the
> waste through an evaporator to remove liquid and
> store in double shell
> tanks until the vitrification plant is ready. (They
> may have to build a
> few additional tanks).
> 
> Ten years ago, many of these tanks were on a watch
> list, for explosive
> levels of hydrogen build-up, ferrocyanide, and other
> constituents that
> made several of the tanks explosive or flammable.
> That has been
> resolved.
> 
> Most old reactors have been cocooned, and much of
> the waste close to the
> Columbia River has been removed and deposed of in
> the middle of the site
> in lined trenches.
> 
> TRU waste is being removed, repackaged and shipped
> to WIPP.
> 
> I could go on, but that's the idea. I'm not in a
> position of defending
> DOE. I know their faults better than most, since I
> regulate them (and
> used to work for them). They used to be absolutely
> dismal in the 70s and
> 80s. They are orders of magnitude better now. (Well,
> most are anyway).
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
> Behalf Of John Jacobus
> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 5:42 AM
> To: Sandy Perle; radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] 60 Minutes feature on
> Hanford last night
> 
> Sandy,
> What I consider important is that after X number of
> years, we still have
> the same issues of waste at Hanford.  With no end in
> sight.
> 
> --- Sandy Perle <sandyfl at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> > On 1 May 2006 at 13:50, John Jacobus wrote:
> > 
> > > I think the real issue was
> > > government's wasteful spending and lack of
> > contract oversight.
> > 
> > John,
> > 
> > That too was my perception. I think that the DOE
> spokes-person didn't 
> > do himself any favours when he stated that when
> you have these large 
> > projects, mistakes will be made, considering that
> they were talking 
> > billions of dollars wasted and another 5 to 10
> years added on after 
> > scrapping most of the work due to lack of
> "correct"
> > specifications
> > and non-approval of the construction, while still
> continuing with 
> > construction.
> > 
> > I don't know the facts and can only evaluate what
> I saw. THere are 
> > those out there (and here on Radsafe) who do know
> more of the intimate
> 
> > details. I am sure that this episode will attract
> more negative media 
> > attention, also considering the Chernobyl 20th
> Anniversary.
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> +++++++++++++++++++
> "People will be shocked to see how safe it is to
> live in New York City."
> ANDREW KARMEN, a sociology professor at John Jay
> College of Criminal
> Justice, on murder trends in the city.
> 
> -- John
> John Jacobus, MS
> Certified Health Physicist
> e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com
> 
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+++++++++++++++++++
"People will be shocked to see how safe it is to live in New York City."
ANDREW KARMEN, a sociology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, on murder trends in the city.

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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