fd9 7b9 628 5e1 578 2d4 484 a62 4b7 026 0dd 3f1 1c8 a07 a0a 072 38a eea 5e0 cf2 321 1b5 6b7 844 18b f1b 666 318 d02 68e 1f9 59a 742 796 3fe 3a8 cd4 d79 b53 c22 9e2 90f 9d3 9f8 980 03f 155 081 2f2 acc 2fc 67d 857 92c 46d a71 6bb 726 7ec fe3 958 34e ec3 ec2 f73 402 d46 da2 29b d4e 42d 398 0fd fd2 437 a52 208 7b0 88e 32f 883 7c3 fa5 e12 78f 4b5 227 dbf ac2 5e4 de3 d27 7e8 a8a 08b a23 084 d2b f89 b54

Phase II focused on the cause of the radiological release, with the AIB concluding that the release was caused by an exothermic reaction involving the mixture of organic materials and nitrate salts in one drum that was processed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in December 2013.

How long will the WIPP site actually be radioactive?

10,000 years The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the world's third deep geological repository (after Germany's Repository for radioactive waste Morsleben and the Schacht Asse II salt mine) licensed to store transuranic radioactive waste for 10,000 years.

Is the WIPP real?

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the nation's only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository. Located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, WIPP permanently isolates defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste 2,150 feet underground in an ancient salt formation.

What kind of waste is stored at WIPP?

transuranic WIPP is the nation's only repository for the disposal of nuclear waste known as transuranic, or TRU, waste. It consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements.

Where is Waste Isolation Pilot Plant?

Carlsbad, New Mexico The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the nation's only repository for the disposal of transuranic waste generated by atomic energy defense activities. WIPP is located 33 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the Chihuahuan Desert, far from major population centers.

What happened at WIPP?

On February 14, 2014, a radiation release occurred at the WIPP from a compromised drum of contact-handled transuranic waste emplaced underground in the WIPP facility. The drum contained nitrate salts, processed and emplaced at the WIPP in late 2013.

Can nuclear waste be destroyed?

Long-term nuclear waste can be “burned up” in the thorium reactor to become much more manageable. The world's progress on transitioning to sustainable energy has stalled.

When was WIPP built?

1980s In 1979, Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The WIPP facility, located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, N.M., was constructed during the 1980s. Congress limited WIPP to the disposal of defense-generated TRU wastes.

Who runs WIPP?

The DOE The DOE owns and oversees the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's only deep geologic repository for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste and the National TRU Program (NTP).

What happens if you touch plutonium?

There is no health hazard from touching plutonium. Just wash your hands afterward so that any traces of it don't accidentally get inside you. It presents zero risk outside of the body. Plutonium is only a hazard if it gets inside you in large quantities: inhaled, ingested, or absorbed.